


Runes and spellbooks

by Gilrael



Series: Paraphernalia [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Kiyoko is also a magician, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Build, Takeda is not, Ukai is a magician, minor TakiShima, the sexual harassment doesn't actually happen but it's talked about a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-01-16 00:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12332220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael/pseuds/Gilrael
Summary: “There's got to be plenty magicians amongst the teachers at Karasuno.”“There are some, but none of them would be able to resist her glamour!”“Glamour?” Keishin's stomach made an uncomfortable lurch at the mention of this kind of magic. “What are you talking about?”---Kiyoko has been drawing a lot of unwanted attention because of her natural glamour. In order to help his student, Takeda makes it his mission to find someone who can teach her to control her magic and comes across Ukai Keishin, grandson of the famous Master Ukai. Ukai just wants to get this whole thing over with.





	1. Persistence

**Author's Note:**

> Time for my first multi-chapter UkaTake fic!
> 
> If anyone has read my first multi-chapter Haikyuu!! fic, some things may seem very familiar. That's because I still love the setting of that old fic, but I'm not happy with what I did with it back then. I've put a lot of thought into how I could salvage the setting and this is what I came up with.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy!

“Ta-takeda-sensei?” a quiet voice asked, barely noticeable if it hadn't been for that tinge of desperation in it. Ittetsu turned around to see one of his first-year students, Shimizu Kiyoko, a soft-spoken girl with above average marks in most subjects. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Of course,” Ittetsu replied, leading her into the literature preparation room and offering her a chair. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Shimizu's finger twisted into the fabric of her skirt as she took a shaky breath. “Some of the boys in my class have suddenly started bothering me. And... there are... there are also some teachers that... They get really close to me sometimes and it... They make me feel uncomfortable.”

Instantly, concern flared up in Ittetsu's chest. He was familiar enough with situations like this, having witnessed something similar happening to one of his old classmates.

“Are there any magicians in your family?” he asked, not beating around the bush.

“Erm, very few,” Shimizu said quietly.

“But you have magicians in your ancestry?”

“Yes. Why... Why does it matter, Sensei?”

Ittetsu sighed and pushed up his glasses. “I think you might be starting to develop your powers, and it seems like you might have a natural glamour. It's nothing to be afraid of. One of my own high school classmates had one, and he learnt to control it after taking a couple of lessons with a magician,” Ittetsu explained. “Our school is too small to have its own magic instructor, but I'm sure one of your relatives will be able to teach you.”

“Erm... I... I don't think so. The... the only magicians are on my mother's side of the family and they don't really talk to us anymore since she married my father...” Shimizu whispered, shrinking in on herself.

But Ittetsu was not going to let his student down. Having a natural glamour could be dangerous, especially for such a young and pretty girl as Shimizu who already met all the conventional beauty standards without having to rely on magic. “We'll find a solution. Give me some time and I'll find you a teacher in town. Until then, you should be careful not to be alone with anyone, even if they seem unaffected by the glamour. I know it's not your fault that these people are bothering you, it's not like you can control your glamour yet, but please be careful. If you need help, you can always come to me.”

Shimizu got up and slightly bowed her head. “Thank you very much!”

Ittetsu opened the door for her, but she hesitated. “Sensei... How come you are not affected by the glamour?”

“Well, I have something like a protective charm, I guess,” Ittetsu said, laughing nervously. He was not going to tell her that women really had to focus for their glamours to work on him because he was gay.

 

When Ittetsu was young, he'd already known that his chances of developing magical abilities were nearly non-existent because there were barely any magicians in his family. And yet, like most teenagers in his position, he'd held onto the hope that maybe he would be the odd one out in his family. Until he graduated high school. By the time he entered the education department of the local university he'd given up on his childish dream, focusing on a new one instead. He wanted to pass his own passion for literature on to the next generations of high school students, and in the process, he hoped to guide them towards taking on the responsibilities of adulthood, like his own teachers had done for him.

Ittetsu didn't have much experience yet, but he was determined to help Shimizu, so he asked around the staff room whether anyone knew of magicians that were willing to take on students. He was told by one of his older colleagues that a certain Ukai Ikkei used to teach local kids back in the day, though he hadn't taken on any new students in a while. 

Having finished his work for the day, Ittetsu immediately set out to find Master Ukai at his daughter-in-law's paraphernalia shop.  _Sakanoshita Paraphernalia_ looked surprisingly ordinary from the outside, considering that they were selling materials for magic. If it hadn't been for the pentagram over the door, it could've easily been mistaken for a regular corner store. Inside, however, Ittetsu was hit by the smell of dozens of different dried and fresh herbs, chalk, sulphur and an abundance of other smells he didn't recognise. The walls were lined with shelves that held a seemingly random assortment of things, from mirrors over weirdly shaped rocks to jars with powders that glittered in the artificial light of the shop. 

To Ittetsu's right was a counter, behind which the shop assistant was lazily flipping through a manga. He was handsome in a rugged kind of way – bleached hair framing his sharp features, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, and pierced ears gave him the look of someone who probably got into a lot of trouble in his youth.

“Erm, excuse me,” Ittetsu said, making the younger man look up from his manga.

“How can I help you?”

“I'm looking for Ukai Ikkei.”

The shop assistant sighed, extinguishing his cigarette in an ashtray. “Grandpa's still hospitalised,” he explained, making Ittetsu's shoulders slump. “If you want a protective charm for your house or field, I can do those, too, but mine don't last as long as his do. They're cheaper, of course.”

“I'm not here for a charm,” Ittetsu explained hastily. “Actually, I was going to ask whether Master Ukai would be willing to take on a new student. I'm Takeda Ittetsu, a teacher at Karasuno High School, you see, and there's this student...”

“Sorry, Sensei, but he's not teaching anymore,” the shop assistant interrupted. “The old geezer's health doesn't really allow it.”

“Oh, I see,” Ittetsu muttered. Well, he'd have to look for someone else then. It couldn't be that hard to find another decently adept magician in this town. Now that he thought about it, there was one sitting right in front of him. This man wouldn't be offering protective charms and working at a shop like this if he wasn't a magician. A quick glance at the name tag on his white apron revealed that his name was Ukai Keishin. “You're Master Ukai's grandson?”

Irritatedly, the shop assistant clicked his tongue. “Yeah. Why are you asking?”

“Would you be interested in having a student, Ukai-kun?”

That made Ukai-kun laugh. “Good one, Sensei. I might be the great Master Ukai's grandson, but I'm nothing like him. I'm not a teacher, and I really don't plan on becoming one.”

“I'm sure my student's parents would pay you if you took her under your wing,” Ittetsu argued stubbornly, not willing to give up.

“They could never pay me enough to deal with a teenager,” Ukai-kun retorted, turning back to the manga that was still lying on the counter in front of him. “I've got a shop to watch, so you should leave if you don't want to buy anything.”

“Fine,” Ittetsu conceded, “but I'll be back tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever...” Ukai-kun grumbled.

 

***

 

Working in his mother's shop was usually quite comfortable. There were just enough magicians in this rural town to keep the shop from going under, so most days, Keishin could just sit back and read, occasionally helping out a customer or being sent out by his mother to put protective charms on someone's farm. It was uneventful, and Keishin liked it that way. Sometimes, however, a bunch of curious kids from the nearby high school would come into the shop and cause a ruckus, which usually led to Keishin throwing them out after a maximum of five minutes. Technically, he could put up a magic barrier against repeat offenders, but that was a) too much trouble, b) bad for business, and c) his mum would have his hide if he did it. Normally, the brats gave up after the second time anyway. Recently, though, there was a person whom Keishin would've loved to permanently ban from the shop.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Sensei?” Keishin groaned in lieu of a greeting. “I'm not teaching her.”

“I haven't even said anything yet!” Takeda-sensei complained. “Maybe I want to buy something.”

Keishin rolled his eyes. “The only thing we sell that would be of any use to you is chalk, and I think the school provides you with that anyway,” he shot back, but he was too tired to put any bite into his retort. They'd been through this every freaking day for a week straight, and neither of them was willing to budge. For some inexplicable reason, Takeda-sensei was fixated on finding a magic instructor for his student, and Keishin was not interested in the gig. Teenagers were nothing but a nuisance, so why the fuck would he subject himself to having to deal with one on a regular basis?

“Please, Ukai-kun, this is very important to her!” Takeda-sensei was bowing again.

“Stop that!” Keishin snapped, rubbing his palm over his face. “No amount of bowing is going to change my mind.”

“Please!”

“ _Leave._ ”

“Fine. I'll be back tomorrow.”

“Don't bother.”

“You're not getting rid of me until you agree.”

Keishin huffed, deliberately making a show of unfolding his newspaper and hiding his face behind it although he'd already read it.

_Why does he even bother? She's just another student of his, right?_

 

***

 

Ittetsu was slowly but surely running out of time. Again and again, he noticed how the boys at school would turn their heads whenever Shimizu passed them in the hallways, sometimes even catcalling her, and even more disturbingly, he noticed how some of his co-workers did the same thing. The more time these people spent under the influence of Shimizu's glamour, the more enamoured they were, and with every day the chances of someone hurting her were increasing. Luckily, most of the female teachers had agreed to keep an eye on her and reprimanded students that behaved inappropriately, but some male teachers were disgustingly reluctant to acknowledge the problem.

It was frustrating. None of this was Shimizu's fault, and yet she was the one who had to change, to make sure that she wasn't glamouring people, all because men were rarely taught to treat women with respect.

And so Ittetsu kept going to the paraphernalia shop again and again. He didn't really have another choice. After involving one of the few teachers who were magicians themselves, he'd found out that not just anyone would be able to teach Shimizu how to control her powers. If the person wasn't strong enough to protect themselves from her magic, things could potentially become ugly incredibly fast. And as much as Ukai Keishin insisted that he would make an abysmal magic instructor, he was known amongst the townsfolk for having inherited his grandfather's resilience against magic.

 

***

 

As impressed as Keishin was by Takeda-sensei's sheer stubbornness, it was getting old. Once again, the teacher was standing in front of the counter, bowing in an almost perfect ninety-degree angle.

“Oh for fuck's sake, why don't you give up already?” Keishin exhaled exasperatedly. “I'm not doing it.”

“Please! She needs help!” Takeda-sensei dropped to his knees.

_Well, that's new._

“Please get up again, this is embarrassing!” Keishin complained, taking a long drag from his cigarette.

“I beg you. Teach her to control her powers!” Takeda-sensei's voice was trembling, but he didn't move from his position on the floor. “I don't know anyone else who could help her.”

“There's got to be plenty magicians amongst the teachers at Karasuno.”

“There are some, but none of them would be able to resist her glamour!”

“Glamour?” Keishin's stomach made an uncomfortable lurch at the mention of this kind of magic. “What are you talking about?”

“She has a natural glamour, and if she doesn't learn to control it soon... I'm afraid of what might happen to her.”

Glamours were one of the most dangerous types of magic, both for the person that was casting the spell and the people affected by it. There was a reason why magic instructors at reputable schools like Shiratorizawa and Aoba Johsai only taught them to students who had a natural predisposition towards them. Keishin himself only knew how they worked in theory. His grandpa had only told him about them so that Keishin would properly understand why everyone was so reluctant to teach them.

“Holy fuck, Sensei, why didn't you mention this from the start?”

Takeda-sensei looked up at Keishin with a desperate facial expression. “I... I didn't think to mention it until now...”

“Damn... I'm gonna ask my grandpa if we can use his old study. And we need someone to supervise the lessons who is not affected by female glamours. I... I don't really trust myself with that glamour until I've met the girl. I would ask my mum, but she's busy renewing grandpa's old protective charms... Maybe one of your co-workers or... maybe her parents would be willing to help out,” Keishin suggested, already trying to remember where his grandpa kept that book with all the protective spells against glamour type magic.

“Erm, I...” Takeda-sensei slowly got up from the ground. “I can supervise.”

“Don't be silly, just because the effect she has on you is easily ignored, doesn't mean it's not there,” Keishin scolded, but Takeda-sensei shook his head.

“I'm really not affected because I... erm... Well, let's say I don't have an interest in women.”

“Oh.” Keishin needed a couple of seconds to process Takeda-sensei's statement, but he wasn't all that shocked when he finally understood the implication. Having once been the unintentional victim of a male glamour, Keishin was quite aware that there were men with gay tendencies out there, himself included. “Okay. That works then. I'm gonna close up shop early tomorrow, so bring the girl around after school. But before you misunderstand anything – I'm only doing this until she can control the glamour. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“Thank you very much, Ukai-kun,” Takeda-sensei said, his relief obvious in the way he smiled. Without the wrinkles of worry surrounding them, the brown eyes behind those glasses suddenly looked a lot brighter.

 


	2. First lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was kinda productive today and managed to finish the next chapter. You shouldn't expect me to update that frequently all the time, though, because uni is about to start up again^^

Kiyoko could feel their eyes on her, heard the excited whispers and wished for them to stop. The unwanted attention made her skin crawl, but there wasn't much she could do about it yet. She'd been surrounding herself with her few friends and never went anywhere without at least one of them, just like Takeda-sensei had told her to do while he was looking for a magic instructor. Currently, the literature teacher was the only man aside from her own father that Kiyoko trusted. For some reason, he seemed unaffected by the glamour that was now even making some other girls in her year ogle her, though they tended to be less obvious about it than the boys.

“Ugh, that was disgusting!” Yui-san shuddered as soon as they got off the bus. “That businessman wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was staring at you!”

Kiyoko just nodded, tightly holding onto the strap of her school bag. “We should hurry or we'll be late for first period,” she reminded her friend.

 

The school day dragged on and on, and with every minute Kiyoko grew more restless. She wanted to be back in the safety of her room where she couldn't accidentally glamour anyone. She even considered skipping her track practice in the afternoon. Every other teenager would have been ecstatic over discovering their magic powers, but Kiyoko didn't want them, not if they made her feel like this. She would've rather been mundane and boring, just like her parents.

Needless to say that the relief was overwhelming when she heard the good news from Takeda-sensei during lunch break.

“Shimizu!” he exclaimed, waving her over to where he'd just left the staff room. “I found an instructor for you. I just got off the phone with your mother and she agreed to have you start the lessons tonight.”

“Th-thank you very much, Sensei,” she stuttered, while Yui-san gave her an enthusiastic pat on the back.

Takeda-sensei smiled. “It's a shame that your parents both have evening shifts tonight, I would've liked to introduce them to your instructor, but I'll be present throughout the lesson. Ukai-kun said that he would make sure to cast protective spells so he won't be affected by your magic, so you really don't need to worry about accidentally glamouring anyone.”

Kiyoko wasn't sure how comfortable she was with being taught by a man, but knowing that Takeda-sensei would be there calmed her. He wasn't a very experienced teacher yet, but he made up for it with enthusiasm and kindness. She trusted him.

 

***

 

Keishin had never actually encountered a natural glamour before, but he had heard plenty about the topic, both from his grandfather and his university professors, and today he had spent an entire day reading up on them in his grandfather's home library. He prepared for his first encounter with Shimizu Kiyoko accordingly. He had his mother help him out with writing protection runes on his wrists (he never managed to get them right using his left hand), and he drew a circle on the floor that would contain any magic unleashed inside of it. By the time Takeda-sensei and Shimizu showed up, Keishin had set up everything they needed for the first lesson.

Opening the door to his grandfather's study, Keishin immediately understood why Takeda-sensei had been so desperate to find an instructor for Shimizu; the runes on Keishin's wrists immediately started glowing in her presence. He was prepared, though, so he let them in and introduced himself to Shimizu. The poor girl was barely able to look him in the eyes when she returned the greeting.

“Okay, first of all, I need to put some protection runes on you, Sensei,” Keishin said. “I don't doubt your ability to control yourself, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.”

“Of course,” Takeda-sensei nodded. “I don't know much about how magic works, so I'd rather trust the professional.”

“Good. Remove your watch please, I need to paint your wrists,” Keishin said, picking up the brush and red paint he had readied beforehand. Most mundane people showed hesitation when it came to having runes put on them, but not Takeda-sensei. He simply took off his watch, pushed the sleeves of his shirt up and held out his hands, a trusting smile on his face. For a second Keishin just stared at him.

 _What's up with this guy? He has no sense of self-preservation_ , he thought and grabbed one of his hands so he could draw the first rune.

 

***

 

“First of all, I want you to know that I have never cast a glamour spell in my entire life,” Ukai-kun explained as he and Shimizu sat down in the chalk circle on the floor, “but I know the theory. I just want to be honest with you.”

Ittetsu rubbed at the runes on his wrist. Having Ukai-kun paint them had been accompanied by a strange prickling feeling beneath the skin, followed by a surge of warmth as Ukai-kun activated the runes with a single word. Compared to Ukai-kun's, they barely seemed to glow, which probably meant that Shimizu's magic really had less of an effect on him. And now that she was sitting in the circle, the glow had disappeared entirely. Ittetsu should have taken this time to mark tests, Ukai-kun had even offered him a space at the massive desk by the window, but Ittetsu was too curious about what was happening in the middle of the room.

Shimizu listened intently while Ukai-kun ran her through the basics of how magic worked. Most of the things he said were part of the regular middle school curriculum so that kids with magic abilities would be prepared for the moment when their powers expressed themselves, but Ukai-kun obviously had a lot more insight into the specifics of these developments, having gone through them himself.

“This is like any other part of puberty. It'll get easier with time, trust me. But since you don't have the luxury of time, I'll help you take control of these powers as fast as possible.”

Ittetsu watched as Ukai-kun lead his student through a bunch of breathing exercises before he explained how to channel magic energy, and he was fascinated with how calm and collected Ukai-kun suddenly appeared. He was nothing like the person that had rejected Ittetsu's desperate attempts to convince him to become an instructor. His language was still a little gruff and the metaphors he used weren't all one-hundred percent age appropriate, but he clearly made an effort to be patient.

 

***

 

At first, Kiyoko had been a little intimidated by Ukai-sensei. His looks screamed “delinquent”, and his way of speaking wasn't particularly trustworthy either, but at least he was willing to teach her. She tried to absorb every bit of information, followed his instructions as closely as possible, and after almost two hours of trying she managed to produce a spark that could light a candle. Ukai-sensei had explained that this kind of spell tended to be one of the easiest ones to learn for most people, and he wanted her to know how it felt to have control over her powers.

It was an exhilarating feeling like tiny pinpricks all over her body that quickly moved to concentrate in her fingertips where the spark appeared.

“Nice!” Ukai-sensei said enthusiastically. “Remember this feeling. This is what control feels like.” He got up and walked over to one of the many bookshelves that lined the walls, his eyes scanning over the books while he talked “You probably shouldn't practice setting things on fire without supervision, but you should definitely do those breathing exercises I showed you earlier. Five to ten minutes before going to bed should be enough, but it won't hurt to do them more often.” He then grabbed a thin, well-worn book and flipped through it. “I don't think we'll get any further with your glamour without you knowing the theory behind that type of magic. I know you have homework and club activities, but please try to read most of the chapters I've highlighted by Saturday.”

Kiyoko nodded. She didn't mind the added workload if it would lead her to control. She was willing to do anything that would make her feel safe again.

 

***

 

Later that night, after he had driven Shimizu home and talked to her father who had just returned from his shift at the hospital, Ittetsu sat down on his couch, loosened his tie and closed his eyes. He still had to mark those tests and go over the lesson plans for the next day, but he needed a break. Not that it had been particularly hard to supervise Shimizu's lesson with Ukai-kun – in a way that had actually been fun – but the stress of the last two weeks of frantically trying to find an instructor was catching up with him. He had carried that weight around on his shoulders, and now that it was gone, he felt sore.

Sighing, he opened his eyes. He couldn't afford to accidentally fall asleep, so he forced himself to get up and change into more comfortable clothes. As he took off his watch, he noticed that there were still runes painted on his wrists. Once he was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, Ittetsu went to the bathroom to wash off the paint.

Well, he tried. No amount of soap and scrubbing made the paint come off. He even went to the kitchen to get some oil, remembering that there were some kinds of paint that only came off with non-polar solvents. The runes wouldn't budge.

Groaning, Ittetsu dried off his hands. There were still three more days until Shimizu's next lesson and Ittetsu did not want to walk around with these runes on his wrists. People would ask questions, and if he answered truthfully, if he told them that these were protective runes, someone would eventually notice that they barely even glowed around Shimizu. He didn't need rumours about his sexuality floating around the school. He'd have to try to hide them in the morning and then hope that Ukai-kun would be working at his mother's shop during lunch break.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time we'll get some more proper UkaTake interaction!


	3. Stress

For the most part, Ittetsu liked his job. He liked working with teenagers, he enjoyed talking about literature and making his students think about language and metaphors. What he didn't like were some of his colleagues. They tried to police the morals of the students, while at the same time leering at the girls whose skirts did not abide by the dress code. Ittetsu hated dealing with these hypocrites.

“She's disrupting the classroom with that glamour. All the other students are distracted by her,” one of them complained, earning nods from two other teachers who had never even taught the form Shimizu was in. “Maybe we should suspend her until she has that glamour under control.”

“We will do no such thing,” Ittetsu bit out through clenched teeth. “None of this is her fault. No magician can control their powers immediately. I don't hear you talk about banning Sugawara-kun because he accidentally froze the water in the school pond last week.”

“His powers aren't disrupting lessons!”

Ittetsu was having none of it. “Maybe you should learn how to do your job and draw the attention of the students to yourself instead of boring them to death.”

Stunned silence followed Ittetsu's statement. If this argument had been about something less consequential, this would have been the point where he'd apologise for having said something that was out of line. But as uncomfortable as he felt attacking his co-worker, Ittetsu had no intention of backing down this time.

“Well, I have things to do,” he said curtly. “If you would excuse me...”

He pushed past the other men and left the teachers' lounge.

“Do you think her glamour is getting to his head?” he heard one of them ask just before the door closed behind him.

Rubbing at the runes on his wrists, Ittetsu made his way to _Sakanoshita Paraphernalia_. He hated the fact that telling his co-workers the truth would probably be worse for his career than letting them believe that he was bewitched by a female student.

 

***

 

It had been a quiet morning at the shop, and Keishin had spent most of it reading spellbooks behind the counter, trying to figure out the best way to help Shimizu. He'd been happy with the progress they'd made in the first lesson, but this was the first time he'd ever truly thought about glamour spells, and he really didn't want to mess this up and accidentally endanger himself and Shimizu.

Around noon, the sound of the door opening made Keishin look up from his books.

“Hello, Ukai-kun.”

Keishin's first instinct at the sight of Takeda-sensei was to groan, but he bit it back. They both had the same goal now – getting Shimizu to a point where she could control her abilities.

“Hey,” he said instead, unsure how to act around him now. “What brings you here, Sensei?”

“Well...” Takeda-sensei stepped up to the counter and pushed up his sleeves, revealing the runes Keishin had painted last night. “I need you to remove these for me.”

Keishin lifted an eyebrow. “People usually pay for these. They'll protect you from more than glamours, you know?”

Takeda-sensei sighed. “People will notice that they don't react to Shimizu.”

“And?”

“Well,” Takeda-sensei said, leaning forward and lowering his voice, “I don't exactly tell my students or co-workers that I'm gay.”

“Oh, yeah. Right.” Keishin had totally forgotten about that. “Wait a second, I need to fetch some supplies from the back.”

He almost stumbled over his own feet as he ducked into the back room where he and his mother kept the paraphernalia for their own use. He quickly scanned the shelves for the salve he needed and went out again.

“Okay, show me your wrists,” he said, unscrewing the lid and dipping his fingers into the salve. Takeda-sensei quickly took off his watch and held out his wrists, just like he'd done last night. As Keishin rubbed the salve onto the runes and muttered the proper incantation, Takeda-sensei winced.

“Cold,” he muttered, rubbing at his wrists as soon as Keishin let go of them.

“You'll have to get used to it if I have to remove them every time you supervise Shimizu's lessons.” Keishin shrugged, carefully putting the lid back onto the plastic container.

Takeda-sensei chuckled a little, and it would have been a lie if Keishin had said that he hadn't stared at the man in front of him. The way Takeda-sensei's eyes lit up warmed Keishin to the core.

Having grown up in a mostly conservative rural town, he sometimes forgot that he wasn't the only guy who was kind of into other guys. Not even the four years he'd spent at a rather liberal university had managed to turn him into less of a closet case. The fact that he was also into women had certainly helped him blend in with the straight guys. Sometimes, Keishin could even fool himself into thinking that his bisexuality was just a fluke. But Takeda-sensei's presence was throwing him off track. The guy was just as closeted as Keishin was, and yet he'd readily admitted to not being influenced by Shimizu's glamour without batting an eye. Why had he trusted Keishin with this information? Was it instinct? Or was it just because he'd wanted to help out his student no matter what?

“Are you alright, Ukai-kun?”

Takeda-sensei's concerned question startled Keishin right out of his musings.

“Yeah, I'm fine! Everything's okay!” He laughed in an attempt to play down his embarrassment.

Takeda-sensei raised an eyebrow but didn't pry any further. “Well, I need to get back to school, my lunch break is almost over. See you on Saturday!”

“See you.”

As Keishin watched the teacher leave the shop, he mindlessly lit up a cigarette.

_What did I even get myself into?_

 

***

 

Ittetsu avoided the teachers' lounge as best as he could for the rest of the day, lest he run into one of the guys he'd argued with earlier.

At least he didn't have to worry about the runes now. He quickly realised, however, that visiting Ukai-kun had not exactly brought him peace of mind. Whenever Ittetsu wasn't one-hundred percent occupied with teaching, he caught himself thinking about the spaced out look on Ukai-kun's face after the runes had been successfully removed. He had looked cute with his lips slightly parted and his dark eyes slightly unfocused...

Ittetsu knew exactly where this was going, and he really hoped that he would get over it quickly.

 

***

 

… _it is especially important to remember that feelings that were induced by glamours are rarely permanent …_

Kiyoko's eyelids felt heavy, and slowly but surely a headache started to spread out from her temples. She had spent every free second reading the passages Ukai-sensei had highlighted in the spellbook. The problem wasn't that the passages were especially long, but the sentences were convoluted and the text used a lot of kanji she was not familiar with. She wouldn't give up, though. The book might have been hard to read, but at the same time, she was fascinated with the idea of magic. Sometimes she caught herself reading the parts that weren't specifically about glamours, which Ukai-sensei hadn't highlighted for her. She was aware that he would only teach her until her glamour was under control, but she was thirsty for more knowledge. Elemental magic, protection runes, potions, transformation – there were so many different things one could do with these powers, and she wanted to try them out. But now wasn't the time. First, she needed to be safe, and maybe then she could go and look for another teacher and learn all these other things.

Kiyoko slipped a bookmark between the pages and set down the book on her bedside table before settling down for her nightly breathing exercises.

 

***

 

Keishin stood at the window of his bedroom, looking out over the fields of his father's farm as he smoked his last cigarette of the day. Usually, this ritual would clear out his head and calm him down before he went to bed, but tonight it didn't work. Keishin was stressed out by the responsibilities that had suddenly been thrust upon him. He'd never wanted to become a magic instructor like his grandfather, yet here he was. Add a cute, slightly older literature teacher to the mix, and you had a recipe for disaster.

_This will only last a couple of weeks_ , he told himself, extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray on his windowsill.  _Once Shimizu is in control of herself, everything will be back to normal._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your nice comments! They always make my day :D


	4. Uncomfortable conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the title suggests, this chapter is very dialogue heavy, and it introduces some new characters to the story. I hope you enjoy it :D

After returning from university to work at his mother's shop, Keishin had moved back in with his parents. It was convenient in many ways – he didn't have to worry about food expenses and rent – but he also missed the freedom of living alone. It had been easy to avoid Ukai Akemi's questions about why he hadn't brought home a girlfriend yet when he'd only called her once a week and could pretend that he forgot he needed to be somewhere and just hang up on her. Living under the same roof, though, meant having to listen to her complaints every single day.

“If only your student was a little older,” she said, as she painted the rune on Keishin's right wrist.

“Dating a student would be incredibly unethical even if she were legal,” Keishin pointed out.

“I know, I know,” Akemi sighed. “I'm just worried about you. You're not getting any younger.”

“Mum, I just turned twenty-four!” He pulled his hand away from his mother as soon as she had finished drawing. He muttered the activation spell, ready for that familiar rush of warmth, and got up from the couch. “There's still plenty of time for me to find someone to settle down with.”

“You should take a leaf out of Takeda-sensei's book,” Akemi said, putting down the brush and paint. “I saw him yesterday when I visited your grandfather at the hospital, and he was talking to one of the nurses. You should've seen the way she smiled at him! I'm sure that was his girlfriend.”

Keishin almost choked on his own spit as he attempted to suppress the laughter that bubbled up in his throat. He had seen how little the runes on Takeda-sensei's wrists reacted to a natural glamour cast by a girl. There was no way the guy would ever have a girlfriend. And also...

“Did the nurse look anything like Shimizu?” Keishin asked. He knew that his mother had only caught a glimpse of the girl after the lesson, but luckily Shimizu's glamour made her almost impossible to forget.

“Now that you mention it...” Akemi lifted an eyebrow. “Why are you asking?”

“I'm pretty sure that was Shimizu's mother. She's a nurse and Takeda-sensei mentioned that she wanted to supervise her daughter's next lesson but didn't know yet whether she could arrange it because of her work schedule,” Keishin explained triumphantly. “So yeah... Not his girlfriend.”

“Doesn't mean he doesn't have someone else,” Akemi argued. “Are you sure you don't want me to introduce you to one of my friends' daughters? There are some lovely young ladies that surely wouldn't mind going on a date with a university trained magician.”

“Look at the time!” Keishin said, pointedly staring at his non-existent wristwatch. “I need to go and teach Shimizu how not to glamour her entire surroundings!”

“We're not done talking about this!” Akemi yelled, but Keishin ignored her completely as he left for his grandfather's office.

_Like hell, I'll let her choose a girlfriend for me!_

 

***

 

Annoyance was too mild of a word to describe what Ittetsu was feeling as he sat in the vice principals office on Saturday afternoon.

“Takeda-san, please! We can't have her going around messing with people's heads.”

Yes, annoyance was not sufficient.

“As I have already said, sir, it is not her fault,” Ittetsu insisted, trying hard to keep the tone of his voice level. “And she's working on it. She is taking lessons with a magic instructor as we speak!”

This was all the fault of Ittetsu's inability to keep his mouth shut when his colleagues badmouthed Shimizu. He knew he shouldn't have snapped. He knew he should have kept quiet. But he hadn't, and now those hypocrites had gone and decided to involve the vice principal.

“And how long will it take for her to gain control of that glamour? As her homeroom teacher, you must have felt its effects. How much longer will you be able to resist it?”

He couldn't say the truth, and as much as he hated lying, it was the only option.

“When I found an instructor for her, he cast a protection spell on me.”

The vice principal raised his eyebrows. For a second it seemed like his wig was shifting at the sudden movement, but – to Ittetsu's relief – it did not fall down.

“I don't see any runes on you.”

“He– he has a talent for protection spells!” Ittetsu blurted out, remembering something Ukai-kun had mentioned during that first lesson with Shimizu. “He doesn't need runes.” Ittetsu really hoped that the vice principal did not know enough about magic to know that it was still preferable and safer to use runes anyway.

“Is that so.” The vice principals folded his hands on top of the table, his eyes fixed on Ittetsu's. “I will trust you for now. But if I hear another complaint against Shimizu from any of your colleagues, she will be suspended.”

_Indignant_ , Ittetsu thought, finally finding the right word to describe his state of mind.

“There won't be any complaints.”

 

***

 

Kiyoko's mother wasn't impressed with Ukai-sensei's appearance. That much was clear from the strained smile she put on as she introduced herself to him. Kiyoko really hoped that her mother wouldn't let her judgement be clouded by something as superficial as looks. Yeah, she had also been sceptical at first, but she really needed the lessons and she didn't want to wait any longer to gain control over her life again.

“So, Shimizu,” Ukai-san said after he'd exchanged all the necessary pleasantries and put protection runes on Shimizu Tomoko's wrists, “I hope you read the paragraphs I highlighted for you. Was there anything that was unclear?”

“There were some weird kanji, but I looked them up already,” Kiyoko replied and followed her instructor into the chalk circle.

“Good.”

They sat down in the middle of the circle, and just like last time they started off with a bunch of theory. Ukai-sensei elaborated some of the points that had been mentioned in the reading assignment and asked Kiyoko a couple of questions to make sure she had grasped the most important points. Then, after ten minutes of breathing exercises, it was finally time to work on the glamour.

“Glamours are a lot harder to visualise, so it might help if you keep an eye on my runes,” Ukai-sensei said, positioning his hands so that Kiyoko had a clear view of the glowing red runes. “Now try to remember the feeling of control.”

Kiyoko's eyes narrowed as she thought back to her first lesson, to the rush of power, the prickling sensation and the warmth.

“Okay, remember to keep your breathing steady and repeat after me.”

Kiyoko remembered the verbal spell from her reading, but her tongue stumbled over the unfamiliar combination of syllables. They repeated the spell until Ukai-sensei was satisfied that Kiyoko pronounced it correctly.

“Keep saying the spell, focus on the runes and try to think about shutting down the glamour.”

Kiyoko did. The syllables turned into a mantra, her eyes fixed on the red swirls on her instructor's skin, and only one thought was left in her mind: _I don't want this glamour._

She had lost all sense of time when suddenly the runes flickered and broke her concentration.

“They flickered!” she whispered excitedly.

She barely even heard Ukai-sensei's enthusiastic praise.

“Can I try again?”

“Of course.”

 

By the end of the lesson, Kiyoko had managed to make the runes flicker three times, but every time it happened it broke her concentration. She was exhausted and more than a little frustrated, but Ukai-sensei seemed pleased enough with her progress, so she said nothing.

Kiyoko was about to doze off in her mother's car when suddenly Tomoko spoke up.

“I'm not sure how I feel about letting you take lessons with that man.”

Immediately, Kiyoko sat up straight, panic making her intestines curl in on themselves.

“He seems like a bad influence,” Tomoko went on. “Those piercings... And he reeked of smoke!”

“But Ukai-sensei is a good instructor! I promise that I won't start smoking and I won't dye my hair or– or get piercings!” Kiyoko was desperate. She didn't want to lose this opportunity. She just wanted to get rid of that natural glamour! “And it's not like I'll ever be alone with him. Takeda-sensei promised that he would supervise the lessons! You trust Takeda-sensei, don't you?”

Tomoko sighed, pulling into the residential area where they lived. “I'm just worried. I've heard so many stories about girls with glamours like you,” she said, parking the car in their driveway, but making no move to leave it. “I want you to be safe, Kiyoko.”

“You saw how many precautions he takes,” Kiyoko said, grabbing onto her mother's arm. “The runes, and the circle on the floor... I need these lessons. And he really wants to help me.”

Once again, Tomoko sighed, softly placing her hand over her daughter's. “Okay. But please be careful.”

Kiyoko let out a shaky breath of relief. “I will. I promise.”

 

***

 

The lesson had been somewhat successful. Shimizu's mother had seemed quite sceptical, but that was to be expected, and Keishin doubted that she'd complain about someone trying to help Shimizu. Now that the lesson was over, however, he was dead tired. He hadn't used his powers much at all, but he'd had to remain vigilant, in case Shimizu lost control of her magic.

As a result, he was quite reluctant when Shimada and Takinoue asked if he wanted to grab a beer with them. But he hadn't seen his friends in a while and he really needed to vent some of the frustration about his mum...

The two of them were already sitting at their usual table at the izakaya.

“How's our favourite magic instructor doing?” Takinoue teased as Keishin joined them.

“I'm bloody exhausted,” Keishin admitted, taking the pint of draft beer that was offered by Shimada. “Glamours are the worst.”

Shimada hummed in agreement. “They tend to make things difficult, yes. How much progress have you made so far?”

“Not much.” Keishin sighed and took a big gulp of beer. “Shimizu managed to make the runes on my arm flicker a little, but that's it.”

“It's only been her second lesson, she'll get there,” Takinoue assured him. “It took your grandpa almost a month to get me to stop accidentally activating enchantment runes.”

“I remember.” Keishin snorted at the memory. “Mum banned you from entering the shop because you'd set off her amulets.” And it had been Keishin's job to clean the resulting mess whenever it happened.

“Speaking of Akemi-san,” Shimada said, “when she came by our shop today, she asked whether my sister was still single.”

Keishin groaned, rubbing at his face in frustration. “Rina-chan is basically like my own little sister! Why would I want to date her?”

“You two would be terrible together anyway,” Shimada said, draining the rest of his beer and waving the waiter over to order another one.

“Haaaa...” Keishin rested his head on the table and closed his eyes. “I wish my mum would just leave me be. I can get dates on my own just fine.”

That made both his friends laugh.

“When was the last time you had a date?” Takinoue asked.

“It's been almost a year,” Shimada answered before Keishin could even open his mouth.

“No one's caught my eye since then,” Keishin argued, glaring at both of them.

“Hmm, how about that dude over there at the bar, the one with the glasses,” Shimada suggested. “He seems like he'd be your type.”

“I don't think my mum wants me to have a boyfriend,” Keishin said but lifted his head anyway. When he spotted the man, his heart almost leapt up into his throat. “Takeda-sensei?”

 

***

 

Usually, Ittetsu wasn't the type to drink because he was frustrated. He preferred to drink when there was cause for celebration, but today was an exception. Talking to the vice principal was always a bit of a chore, and today's conversation had been especially aggravating.

Ittetsu was nursing his second pint of beer when suddenly he thought he heard his name. Turning around in his seat, he saw Ukai-kun sitting at a table with two other men his age.

“Uh, hello, Sensei,” Ukai-kun said. There was a slight flush colouring his cheeks, probably from the alcohol, but Ittetsu caught himself hoping that he was the cause of it. He shoved the thought aside immediately.

“Hello, Ukai-kun!” Ittetsu only hesitated for a second before he got up and walked over to their table. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all!” one of the others said, grinning widely. “The more the merrier!”

After a short round of introductions, Ittetsu turned to Ukai-kun and asked about Shimizu's lesson. He was anxious to know whether there had been any progress. When he heard that she barely even managed to turn off the glamour for more than a couple seconds, he bit his lower lip.

“... but she's very dedicated to figuring this out,” Ukai-kun said. “I'm sure she'll get the hang of it eventually.”

“Eventually is not good enough,” Ittetsu blurted out. “The vice principal is threatening to suspend her, should her glamour cause any problems.”

“Nothing has happened so far, right?” Shimada-kun tried to reassure him. “She'll be fine for another couple of weeks.”

And then, all of a sudden, a warm hand gripped Ittetsu's shoulder.

“We can do this,” Ukai-kun said earnestly, and for the first time since Ittetsu had left the vice principal's office that day, he felt calm again. He didn't know what exactly it was, but something about Ukai-kun made Ittetsu feel like he could depend on him.

_Why do I always fall for men that are out of my league?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested in the setting of this fic, I made a [tumblr post](http://gilrael.tumblr.com/post/166794608203/the-setting-of-runes-and-spellbooks) about it.


	5. Helpless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sick for an entire week so I'm surprised I even managed to write something halfway coherent, but I managed lol Hope you enjoy!

“You look exhausted,” Yui-san said in lieu of a greeting, patting the empty bus seat next to her. It wasn't the first time this morning that Kiyoko had heard that sentence. She had run into her father as he was on his way to work, and he had been concerned about the dark circles under her eyes as well.

“My magic lesson ran long yesterday,” Kiyoko said, sitting down next to her friend. “Wake me up when we reach school.”

“You can lean on my shoulder.”

Sighing, Kiyoko took her friend up on the offer and closed her eyes. Her massive workload was starting to take its toll on her. Exams were coming up, the track club was getting ready for a competition, and three times a week she had lessons with Ukai-sensei. The latter were becoming more and more frustrating. Her progress was incredibly slow. Even if she wasn't distracted by the flickering of the runes on Ukai-sensei's wrists, she could barely shut down the glamour for more than half a minute at a time. She knew that it was a matter of practice, but her patience was reaching its limits.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Yui-san said quietly. “I'll help out if I can.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Kiyoko's mouth. She couldn't think of anything that Yui-san could help her with, but she appreciated the sentiment. “Thanks.”

 

***

 

The last time Keishin had spent this much time reading spellbooks, he had still been a university student. Now, instead of reading manga and newspapers when there were no customers around, he was combing through books from his grandfather's library, trying to find _something_ that might help Shimizu with her control. She never complained, but Keishin wasn't blind – Shimizu was obviously restless and frustrated with how slow her progress was.

Two weeks into the lessons, Keishin had gone through most of the books in his grandfather's possession that were likely to hold information on glamours and other types of mind-manipulation magic, but since this field was so taboo it was hard to find any useful instructions.

“I'm sure your grandfather could help you,” Akemi said as she entered the shop through the back, carrying a box of things she needed for the renewal of her old enchantments and protection charms.

Keishin closed the book he was reading and sighed. “I can't remember him ever teaching someone to control a natural glamour.”

“I think he had one student like that while you were at university.”

“Huh.” Keishin reached for his cigarettes and whispered the incantation for a fire spell to light one up. He didn't particularly like the idea of having to accept help from his grandfather, but he didn't have much of a choice, did he? “If I haven't found anything by the time I've gone through all the books I've picked out, I'll go talk to him.”

 

***

 

_Should I really be doing this?_ Ittetsu thought as he walked towards  _Sakanoshita Paraphernalia_ . His bag was unusually heavy because of the bottle of sake he had bought last night. It was a gift for Ukai-kun – something to thank him for dedicating so much time to something he had never actually wanted to do, something to make up for the fact that Ittetsu was utterly useless in the grand scheme of things. If only Ittetsu could truthfully say that he did not have any other motives for visiting the shop. There was a part of him that hoped that Ukai-kun might invite him to drink with him and give Ittetsu an opportunity to get to know him better. 

_When was the last time I was this infatuated with someone?_ Ittetsu mused, pushing open the door of the shop. As always Ukai-kun was sitting behind the counter, his gaze moving across the worn-out pages of a huge book. He only looked up once he reached the end of the page.

“Oh, Sensei,” he said, and Ittetsu wasn't sure whether he was imagining the excitement in the tone of his voice. At the very least, Ukai-kun's reaction was welcoming compared to the first couple of times they had talked. “What brings you here?” Suddenly, before Ittetsu could answer, Ukai-kun's expression shifted to one of concern. “Did something happen to Shimizu?”

“No! Shimizu's fine!” Ittetsu immediately replied. “I just... uh...” He opened his messenger bag and pulled out the bottle of sake from in between his lesson plans and books. “I thought it might be appropriate to thank you for all the effort you put into Shimizu's lessons, so I prepared a small gift for you.”

Ukai-kun raised his brows in surprise, accepting the bottle without ever taking his eyes off of Ittetsu's face.

“Thank you, but this wasn't necessary at all,” he said, suddenly lowering his gaze and blinking rapidly as he stared down at the label on the bottle. “Holy shit, you really bought the good stuff.”

Ittetsu chuckled, nervously scratching the back of his head. He had often been praised for his eloquence, but whenever he came face to face with Ukai-kun he was left speechless. All the words that would have simply spilt from his lips in the company of anyone else were suddenly eluding him.

“Well, if you stick around for–” Ukai-kun looked up at the clock over the entrance– “fifteen minutes until I've closed down the shop, we could drink together.”

Ittetsu could barely believe his luck. “Yeah, why not,” he said, trying to sound casual but failing spectacularly.

 

Half an hour later, they were seated in the back of the shop, drinking expensive sake out of the mugs Ukai-kun and his mother usually used for coffee during their breaks.

“I know this is not the most comfortable of places to drink, but my mum would've kicked up a fuss if we did this in our living room,” Ukai-kun explained for the second time.

“It's fine.” Ittetsu smiled reassuringly. “I wouldn't want to impose on your parents.”

“That's not the problem, it's just...” Ukai-kun sighed and sipped on his sake. “My mum is really overbearing sometimes.”

Ittetsu couldn't help but notice the strained undertone in Ukai-kun's voice. He didn't want to overstep any boundaries, however, so he tried to stick to innocent small talk instead of digging deeper into Ukai-kun's trouble with his mother. There were plenty of other things he wanted to know about Ukai-kun. He asked about work at the shop, about how his friends Shimada-kun and Takinoue-kun were doing...

It was so easy to talk to Ukai-kun, really. He didn't complain when Ittetsu started waxing poetic about the importance of giving everyone equal opportunity to learn, and Ittetsu loved listening to Ukai-kun share his insights into magic. The alcohol certainly helped loosen their tongues, but Ittetsu was sure that the two of them could eventually have this kind of conversation when sober if given the opportunity.

Inevitably, as evening turned into night, the conversation circled back around to its beginning.

“It's not like I don't wanna have a relationship, you know?” Ukai-kun's speech was still quite coherent if a little slower than when they had started drinking. “I just want my mum to shut up about it. I'm well aware that my little sister recently got engaged to her boyfriend of five years. That doesn't mean that _I_ have to rush into a relationship, though, just because I'm older.”

“You have a sister?” Ittetsu asked, trying to ignore the rising dread that came with the thought of Ukai-kun ending up with someone else.

“Oh yeah, you wouldn't know her,” Ukai-kun said. “Kana-chan is in her last year at Sendai University, studying agriculture. She plans on taking over our dad's farm.”

“So she gets the farm and you the shop?”

Ukai-kun shrugged. “I'd like to take over. Depends on the person I eventually settle down with, though. I'm not gonna force anyone to stay in this conservative shithole if they don't wanna, not for my mum's shop.”

Ittetsu desperately wanted to say that if _he_ were the one Ukai-kun eventually settled down with, he wouldn't make him give up on the shop just so they could escape the small-town gossip, but that was plain insanity. Just because Ukai-kun had no problem with Ittetsu being gay, didn't mean that he would be okay with Ittetsu flirting with him, and there was no way Ittetsu was going to endanger this friendship while it was still so flimsy.

And so, Ittetsu simply gave Ukai-kun an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “It'll work out somehow. Just try to ignore your mother's complaining.”

 

***

 

After having said goodbye to Takeda-sensei, Keishin was rapidly sobering up. With sobriety came the unfortunate realisation that he was done for. There was no denying that he was interested in Takeda-sensei. Not after he'd listened to a thirty-minute rant about the state of the Japanese education system and found himself _enjoying_ _it_. Shimada and Takinoue would never let him live this down if they found out.

Groaning, Keishin climbed up the stairs to his room. Keishin's hands were on autopilot, reaching for his pack of cigarettes and lighting up as soon as he closed the door behind himself. The problem was not that his situation was entirely hopeless – Takeda-sensei was gay after all – but with the fact that Takeda-sensei had not shown any interest in Keishin in particular, and Keishin wasn't ready to subject himself to a possible rejection. First, he needed to focus on helping Shimizu gain control over her magic. As long as Takeda-sensei still needed to occasionally supervise lessons, Keishin would not risk things getting awkward. Only when there was no more reason to supervise lessons with Shimizu, would Keishin be willing to make a move.

 

***

 

Ongoing sleep-deprivation was taking its toll on Kiyoko, and for the time being, she saw no way out of this situation that did not involve skipping school, club activities, or magic lessons, all things she was not willing to do just yet. As a result, she had a hard time focusing on anything for long stretches of time. Before all of this started, Kiyoko would've never handed in such sloppy homework for Takeda-sensei's literature lessons, but now she was cutting corners wherever she could. She knew that Takeda-sensei was aware of her situation and was willing to make some allowances for her that other teachers would not even think about, and so she took advantage of that. As long as she wrote something halfway coherent, Takeda-sensei didn't say anything. Kiyoko also couldn't remember ever having to copy homework, but now she found herself copying maths from Yui-san whenever she'd been too tired to finish it the night before.

Everyone was worried about her, Kiyoko was well aware of that, but she put up a tough front. It was only a matter of time, only a matter of getting enough practice, and then she would finally be rid of that glamour and everything would be normal again. At least that was what she was telling herself, as Takeda-sensei rang the doorbell of the Ukai household on a Thursday afternoon.

At this point, the lessons had found a certain routine. Ukai-sensei would refresh the runes on her chaperones wrists or, in Takeda-sensei's case, repaint them entirely. Then Kiyoko and Ukai-sensei would sit down in the chalk circle and do breathing exercises before finally, Kiyoko would attempt to take control of her magic under Ukai-sensei's supervision.

Again and again, Kiyoko tried, focusing on the runes on Ukai-sensei's wrist and the mantra in her head, and for a couple of seconds the runes would flicker, before the red glow returned once again.

“You _are_ getting better at this, Shimizu,” Ukai-sensei said calmly. “You need less and less time until the runes flicker and you can keep up the concentration for longer periods of time. Maybe we can even move away from using the mantra. Try to remember how the absence of magic feels instead.”

Kiyoko wasn't sure how “absence” was supposed to feel. She'd always been too busy with all the other things she had to keep in mind. Would absence feel like a weight was lifted? Wasn't it supposed to feel blissful? She'd never felt particularly blissful since her powers manifested themselves.

_What am I doing wrong? Why is this so hard?_

“Shimizu?” Worry and panic were all mixed up in Ukai-sensei's voice, and for a moment Kiyoko didn't understand why. But then she felt the hot trickle of tears across her cheeks and quickly lowered her gaze.

Oh, how she _hated_ feeling so helpless.

 


	6. Hope

Ukai-kun might have been an adept magician, but it was obvious that he did not know how to deal with a teenage girl in distress, and instead of staying calm and collected, he freaked out.

“Shimizu? What's wrong? Did... did I say something?”

Shimizu replied with a heart-wrenching sob. Ittetsu got up from the desk where he'd been marking homework and joined them in the chalk circle.

“Ukai-kun, why don't you go and make us some tea,” Ittetsu suggested in the hopes that it would help Ukai-kun regain his bearings. Ukai-kun hesitated only for a short moment before getting up and leaving the room.

Ittetsu sat down on the floor next to Shimizu and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, ready to back off at the slightest sign of discomfort, but Shimizu barely even reacted. He should've seen this breakdown coming after the sudden drop in the quality of her school work, should've noticed that she was downplaying her exhaustion, but now it was already too late, and he had to deal with the consequences of his inaction.

“This must be really frustrating to you,” he said quietly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Shimizu took a couple of shaky breaths, taking off her glasses and wiping at her eyes with the sleeves of her uniform. “I– never wan– wanted to– be a– a magician,” she choked out between sobs. “I'd rather be– mundane.”

Ittetsu's heart was bleeding. At her age, he would have given anything to be able to cast magic. He'd always thought that magic was impressive, something to be admired, and Shimizu with her hard-working attitude would surely make a great magician one day. But to her, magic was a curse, something that made her life harder. Her glamour restricted her. She could barely go anywhere without supervision, she was the subject of gossip, and shameless perverts treated her like an object instead of a person because of it.

“You'll be able to control it soon,” Ittetsu said, but Shimizu huffed, shaking off his hand.

“When is soon?! I want this to be over now!”

“I know.” Ittetsu folded his hands in his lap. “But I also know that you are strong and hard-working. You can do this.”

“I– I don't even know– I don't remember how it– f-feels not to have the glamour anymore.” Shimizu sank in on herself.

“I'll go talk to my grandpa tomorrow.”

Ittetsu hadn't even noticed that Ukai-kun had returned with the tea until he spoke up and placed a tray with three cups in the middle of the chalk circle.

“He might not be able to teach anymore, but maybe he knows something or someone that can help you out.”

For the first time in what felt like ages, Ittetsu saw a glimmer of hope in Shimizu's eyes.

 

***

 

Maybe Keishin should have visited his grandpa earlier, but with how unstable the old man's condition had been over the last few weeks, there was a good possibility that he wouldn't have been any help at all. At least that was what he told himself after that catastrophic last lesson with Shimizu.

“Oh, so my lazy bum of a grandson finally managed to get off his arse and visit me,” Ukai Ikkei said as soon as he saw Keishin enter the room. And this right here was another reason why Keishin had hesitated so long to ask for his grandpa's advice – Ikkei had a tendency to antagonise him whenever possible, and also, as much as he grumbled and complained about his grandfather, Keishin still hated the fact that he had suddenly become so fragile, which made it hard to see him confined to a hospital bed.

“Shut up, old man,” Keishin growled and pulled up a chair to his grandfather's bedside. “I brought you some pears from Dad's farm, you should be grateful.”

Ikkei's barking laughter filled the room, and for a moment Keishin could ignore the fact that they were in a hospital.

“Your mother brings over fruit all the time, you're not as special as you think you are.”

“You seem to be doing better,” Keishin said, grabbing the small knife and bowl from the bedside table and cutting into one of the pears.

“Well, the healers have been doing a fine job,” Ikkei said, and then they sat in silence until Keishin had cut the pear into bite-sized pieces.

“Any word on when they'll let you go home again?”

Keishin's grandfather shrugged and popped a piece of pear in his mouth. “They want to monitor me for at least another two weeks to make sure their magic worked properly. It's about time they let me go, really.”

“You still won't be able to teach, though, right?” Keishin asked carefully, fully aware that this was quite the sore spot for his grandpa. Ikkei had always taken his work very seriously. He was the kind of magic instructor that would not rest until he had uncovered his students' full potential, and the fact that his body could not keep up with the strain of teaching anymore wounded Ikkei's pride. Because of that, Keishin wasn't surprised when his question was met with a glare.

“Probably not,” Ikkei admitted through clenched teeth before he angrily shoved another piece of pear in his mouth. “How's your student doing anyway? Any progress?”

Keishin sighed and slumped in his chair. “She's struggling,” he admitted. “She can only ever shut it off for a short amount of time before she loses control again...”

“Start from the beginning.”

And so Keishin did, trying to go into as much detail as possible. When he was done, Ikkei sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“What did they even teach you at university?” he muttered, shaking his head. “All those techniques you showed her only work as long as she doesn't reject her magic! She needs to embrace the glamour. As long as she doesn't see it as something that is a part of her and forever will be, she will not be able to control it.”

“I can't just tell her that!” Keishin huffed. “This glamour has brought her nothing but trouble so far. There's no way she can accept it!”

“Then she'll have to suffer for the rest of her life. It's as simple as that.”

Keishin desperately needed a cigarette, or maybe a shot of strong liquor, something to take the edge off of his desperation.

“Are you sure there is no other way?”

“Yes.” Ikkei's facial expression softened a little. “You'll figure something out.”

 

***

 

Kiyoko felt like she had lost. After her mental breakdown, it had been decided that she needed to take a break from the track and field club. She knew that it was necessary, that she needed to drop _something_ if she wanted to stay sane, but it still felt like a failure to sit down in the library to catch up on schoolwork instead of going to practice.

Her seat by the window had a great view of the school grounds, where her club was currently in the process of warming up, and sometimes she would catch herself watching them. She'd never been particularly attached to any of the other people in her club, but she had liked doing sports. It had given her a purpose, something to look forward to at the end of the school day.

“You can return to the club anytime you want,” her coach had said, but Kiyoko wasn't so sure about that. She probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the other people in her club after taking a long break, and since this whole glamour problem had started she had become even more estranged from them. Hurdles was not a team sport, but it was still demoralising when the people you trained with ignored you for the most part.

Sighing, she turned her gaze back to her maths homework. She needed to get this done before Yui-san's volleyball practice ended, so the two of them could go home together.

 

“Your parents have the evening shift again, don't they?” Yui-san asked when Kiyoko picked her up from volleyball practice.

Kiyoko nodded.

“Mine aren't home either, so let's go grab dinner together,” Yui-san suggested cheerfully. “Eating alone is no fun.”

Kiyoko agreed, glad to have her friend around for even a little bit longer. They chose to go to _Karasuno Eatery_ , an affordable restaurant near their school. It was always very busy on Friday evenings, but they managed to get seats at the counter. Kiyoko could practically feel the stares of some of the other customers rest on her back, but there was also safety in numbers. The more people were around, the less likely it was that someone would try to approach her.

“I wish I could kick every guy that stares at you in the balls,” Yui-san muttered.

“Please don't,” Kiyoko mumbled.

“I know, I know,” Yui-san sighed. “They'd deserve it, though.”

Kiyoko wasn't going to argue that.

“Sorry for the long wait,” a waitress with bleached hair and multiple piercings in her ears said. “Who gets the fried rice with tofu and who gets the beef bowl?”

“The beef bowl's mine,” Yui-san said.

“Okay, here you go,” the waitress said, putting down the bowls in front of them. “Oh and you,” she added, a frown creeping onto her face as she looked at Kiyoko, “I'd be careful with that glamour. We have some regulars here who can't keep their hands to themselves after the second beer.”

Kiyoko wanted to vanish on the spot. Even strangers were commenting on her glamour now! It's not like she could do anything about it yet! She bit her lower lip in an effort to keep away the tears that threatened to spill over, but it was already too late.

“Boss, I'm gonna need my break now!” the waitress yelled over her shoulder, picking up the two bowls again. “Follow me, girls. Saeko-nee will listen to your troubles.”

 

***

 

“... I can't even assure her that she could get into a magic program at university!” Keishin complained, lighting up his third cigarette since he'd arrived at the izakaya half an hour ago. “She could be a super strong magician and still not get a scholarship because of her talent for glamours.”

“The prejudice is not as bad as it used to be, though,” Takinoue argued. “If she gains control of her powers and then studies hard in other fields of magic, she might meet the requirements for a scholarship.”

“ _Might_ ,” Keishin repeated. “That's the problem. I don't think I can convince her to embrace the glamour just so she has a very _slight_ chance of being accepted at uni.”

“There are some successful stage actors who use glamours to their advantage.”

The laughter that escaped Keishin's throat at Shimada's suggestion didn't sound particularly happy.

“I don't think she'd like that. Shimizu is way too shy to...” He was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing.

It was Shimizu.

“I need to go outside for a second,” Keishin said, picking up his phone and leaving the noisy izakaya. “Yes?”

“Hello, this is Shimizu Kiyoko.”

“Hello, Shimizu. Is everything alright?” Keishin asked. It was really unusual for her to call.

“Yes, I'm... I'm okay. I just wanted to ask if it was alright if I brought someone with me to my lesson tomorrow.”

Keishin heaved a sigh of relief. “Of course, I don't mind. Can I ask who you want to bring along?”

“Her name is Tanaka Saeko,” Shimizu said, “and she also has a natural glamour.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saeko to the rescue!


	7. Experience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Basically, a mix of uni, depression and my boyfriend coming back to Germany for his Christmas break prevented me from writing this as fast as I would've liked. I also had to figure out Saeko's POV which I hope I didn't butcher too badly lol  
> Enjoy!

Saeko was a busy person. Between her two part-time jobs and having to look after her younger brother whenever their parents were at work, she didn't really have the time to sacrifice her afternoon off to a girl she'd only met last night. But once she had gotten over the pull of the glamour, she had seen herself in Kiyoko-chan. She'd been just as scared and uncomfortable with her glamour when she first discovered it. Saeko liked being the centre of attention, but only at her own terms, and at first the glamour had taken away her ability to choose when she got the attention. The lessons with Master Ukai had been harsh, but they had brought relief. It was a shame that the old man couldn't teach anymore.

 _Well, if Master Ukai's grandson is anything like him, Kiyoko-chan will be fine_ , she thought as she waited for someone to open the door for her.

“Oh, Saeko-chan!” Akemi-san greeted her with a smile. “It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it? How have you been?”

“I've been fine, thank you,” Saeko replied. “I'm here to help out with Kiyoko-chan's lesson.”

“Ah, yes. Keishin said that someone with more experience with glamours would be joining the lesson today,” Akemi-san said as she stepped aside to let Saeko into the house. “Shimizu-chan isn't here yet, but Keishin's already in the office, setting things up for the lesson. You still know the way, right?”

Saeko nodded as she took off her shoes and properly entered the house. The hallway hadn't changed at all since she last came here, it was still lined with photos of the various members of the Ukai family. She passed them all until she reached the last door to the left, which stood slightly ajar. She didn't bother knocking and simply stepped inside where she found Ukai Keishin kneeling on the floor, touching up some runes in a chalk circle.

“Hello, sorry for the intrusion,” she said, causing Ukai-san to flinch.

“Oh, hi,” he said, wiping his chalky hands on his jeans before getting up and turning around to face Saeko. “You must be Tanaka-san. I'm Ukai Keishin.”

“Yes, I'm Tanaka Saeko.” She looked around the room, taking note of the layers of dust on all of the shelves except for one. “Kiyoko-chan said you are teaching her how to control her magic?”

“Well, I'm trying at least,” Ukai-san sighed. “We haven't made much progress recently. I talked to my grandpa, and he said that it's probably because Shimizu is outright rejecting her glamour, but I honestly have no idea how to make her accept it.”

That made a shocking amount of sense. From what Saeko had gathered during her talk with Kiyoko-chan last night, it was no surprise that she would be unwilling to accept the glamour as a natural part of herself.

“That's rough,” Saeko said, watching Ukai-san draw up two chairs so they could sit down while they talked. “Could you tell me what you've tried so far?”

 

***

 

For a moment, Ittetsu was shocked to see the glowing red runes on Tanaka-san's wrists when he entered the office. If Tanaka-san was affected by Shimizu's glamour, how had she managed to keep herself in check when she met her? But then he was reminded of the time when his own classmate had trouble with a natural glamour. Ittetsu had never even dared to react to the sudden spike in attraction he had felt for the boy, and it probably was no different for Tanaka-san. Add her own experience with people reacting to her glamour, and it was obvious that she had only had the best intentions when she approached Shimizu.

“You must be Tanaka-san!” Ittetsu greeted her with his friendliest smile. “I'm Takeda Ittetsu, Shimizu's literature teacher.”

“Nice to meet you, Sensei,” she replied with a nod before turning to the girl at Ittetsu's side. “How was your day at school Kiyoko-chan?”

“It was alright.” Shimizu's eyes were fixed on the runes on Tanaka-san's wrists. “You... you were actually glamoured by me yesterday?”

“Don't worry, I'm used to ignoring cute boys and girls when I'm working.” Tanaka-san winked. “You're also way too young for me, so I knew my brain was being messed with right away. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh. So... Basically, the teachers that... that stare at me... they...”

“Are despicable human beings, yes,” Ittetsu finished the sentence for her.

“It's what I've been trying to tell you since day one,” Ukai-kun chimed in, as he grabbed Ittetsu's wrists to apply the runes. “It is very rare that a natural glamour is strong enough to make someone a mindless puppet. And I'm ninety percent sure that you are not one of them. Most people are only able to do that if they practice deliberate glamours for long enough.”

Maybe Ittetsu was imagining things, but for a short moment, it seemed like there was new resolve in Shimizu's facial expression. It was nice seeing her like this after her breakdown.

Ittetsu only noticed that Ukai-kun had finished the protection runes when he felt that familiar rush of warm magic flow over him.

 

***

 

Saeko was fascinated by the routine of Ukai-san's lesson. There were definite similarities between him and his grandfather – they both favoured an approach of repetition and drills – but the manner in which Ukai-san spoke was very different than that of the old Master. There was an underlying softness to his instructions that Saeko had never experienced in her own lessons back in the day. But maybe that was the outside perspective. She wasn't the one being instructed anymore, so there was no pressure for her to perform. Who knew, though – maybe Master Ukai would've taken on a softer tone with Kiyoko-chan as well if he had been able to teach her.

For most of the lesson, Saeko sat back with Takeda-sensei and watched. In her case, it had always been her parents who supervised the lessons, but since Kiyoko-chan's parents were nurses, it was understandable that their schedules didn't always leave afternoons open. Kiyoko-chan was lucky that her literature teacher was not only gay – or maybe asexual, Saeko wasn't too sure yet – but also willing to sacrifice his leisure time for a student.

Sometimes Ukai-san would ask for Saeko's input, but he'd clearly paid a lot of attention during their conversation before the lesson and tried to incorporate the information she had provided for him.

“Well, I think that's it for today,” Ukai-san said. “How do you feel, Shimizu?”

“Tired.” Kiyoko-chan stretched her arms and legs as she got up and out of the circle, immediately causing Saeko's runes to flare up. “But it's better than last time.”

“Your progress is good,” Saeko said, patting her on the back. “You managed to keep it up for five minutes on your last try.”

“I... Did I? I didn't even notice.” Kiyoko-chan seemed to be surprised but pleased at the same time.

“You did well,” Ukai-san confirmed. “Remember to do your exercises and get some rest tonight.”

“I will, thank you very much,” Kiyoko-chan said with a short bow.

“I'll take you home once Ukai-kun has removed my runes,” Takeda-sensei said.

Saeko couldn't help the frown. “Oh, I thought we could have a little chat now,” she said. She wanted to ask Kiyoko's teacher about her situation at school, in the hopes of finding something that could motivate her to truly embrace her magic. But it was definitely better to have him accompany Kiyoko-chan, especially at this time of the evening.

“I can come back once she's home safe.”

 

***

 

“If the two of you are staying, you might as well have dinner with us!” Akemi said, pushing the guests into the dining room as soon as Takeda-sensei had returned.

“I don't want to impose!” Takeda-sensei insisted while Tanaka-san asked what was for dinner. Keishin just sighed. The proper conversation would probably have to wait until dinner was over because Keishin really didn't want to involve his mother in all of this. Especially now that he knew that Tanaka-san was also bisexual. If his mother got wind of any of their sexualities, the whole town would know in a matter of days, and chances were high that it would come up in conversation. The topic of glamours was simply a minefield of potential awkwardness.

Thankfully, Akemi asked if Shimizu was doing better now, which led to Tanaka-san having to explain how she had met the girl at the restaurant (conveniently leaving out the part where she had felt the glamour working on herself).

“That's so nice of you, Saeko-chan,” Akemi said with a smile. “Don't you think so too, Keishin?”

Keishin did not like the look on his mother's face. It was the same look she had whenever she mentioned how nice her friends' daughters were.

“Tanaka-san definitely helped us out today,” he said curtly, glaring at his mother as soon as Tanaka-san turned her eyes towards her food. Akemi rolled her eyes in response.

“How old are you again, Saeko-chan?” she asked.

 _Too young for me_ , Keishin thought even before Tanaka-san said that she was nineteen. _I'd rather you try and set me up with Sensei..._

 

***

 

Ittetsu couldn't remember ever having seen Ukai-kun interact with his mother this much. He was reminded of the time they had drunk sake in the back of the store, and it was quite obvious what Ukai-kun had meant when he said that his mother was overbearing. Ukai-kun was clearly uncomfortable with Akemi-san's attempts at matchmaking, but she seemed to be oblivious to that.

“Well, we should go back to grandpa's study,” Ukai-kun eventually said, getting up from his chair with an air of finality.

“Isn't it more comfortable in here?” Akemi-san asked, frowning.

“We might need some of the books,” Ittetsu quickly chimed in, earning himself a grateful smile from Ukai-kun that had his skin tingling with warmth.

“Oh, if you say so. Keishin, help me with the dishes before you go...”

“You two can go ahead and wait in the study for me,” Ukai-kun sighed, following his mother into the kitchen.

“Haaa, Akemi-san's food is always amazing,” Tanaka-san said as they made their way back to the study.

“It was very tasty...”

 _...but also a little exhausting_ , Ittetsu added in his mind.

 

***

 

Figuring out a strategy to motivate Kiyoko-chan proved to be quite a bit of work. At first, Takeda-sensei suggested baiting her with the possibility of an academic career. Apparently, Kiyoko-chan was one of the best students in her year, even after her performance had dropped a little due to her exhaustion. But there was no way that would work.

“So there are absolutely no scholarships for people who are talented with mind-manipulation?” Takeda-sensei asked incredulously. “What do magicians with this talent do if they want to go to university?”

“They pay,” Saeko said matter-of-factly. “It's why I'm working two jobs right now. I'm saving up money for Sendai University.”

“Yeah, and it's not like you'll have time to work part-time while you're at uni,” Ukai-san added. “The workload for students in the magic department is a nightmare. I'm speaking from experience here.”

The young teacher looked at them with utter disbelief written all over his face. “I can't believe this.”

Saeko shrugged. Over the years, she had gotten used to the stigma that came with having a natural glamour. People who knew her from the time before she had gained control over her power didn't trust her, and the word “mind-manipulation” was one that basically only came up in reference to con-artists, prostitution and sleazy men trying to pick up women. Saeko had heard that there were some universities in Australia that taught mind-manipulation courses, but her English wasn't nearly good enough to consider studying abroad. And then again she wasn't even sure if she actually wanted to know more about this power she had. Not after having experienced firsthand what glamours could do to your brain.

“Have you ever felt the effects of a forceful glamour?” Saeko asked, rubbing her arms as goosebumps rose on her skin.

Ukai-san nodded, his face white as a sheet.

“One of my classmates in high school had a natural glamour, but he never actually tried to force one on me,” Takeda-sensei said.

“It's different when it's forced,” Saeko said. “A natural glamour just leaves you feeling dazed and disoriented after it's gone. A forceful glamour, though...”

“It's like you're losing control.” Ukai-san's voice was grave. “I wasn't even the intended victim of the glamour. It was actually supposed to affect the girl sitting next to me at the bar, but since I'm bi, the guy who tried to manipulate her accidentally glamoured us both. He could've told me to take off my clothes in the middle of that crowded bar and I would've done it, no questions asked.”

 _It's just like what happened to me_ , Saeko thought, shuddering. “I was lucky that I wasn't alone when it happened to me. My friends noticed something was off and told the guy to get lost.”

 

***

 

That night, as Ittetsu was lying in bed, his mind was racing. Thoughts kept on interrupting each other until he felt nauseous. Now he wasn't only worried about Shimizu's near future but also what was going to happen to her after high school. No matter how talented she was with other kinds of magic, the simple fact that her main talent lay with glamours would be hindering her career. Maybe for the rest of her life. After what Tanaka-san and Ukai-kun had told him, he couldn't even spare a minute to appreciate the fact that his chances with Ukai-kun were not as abysmal as he initially had thought.

When he finally fell asleep, it was to nightmares that he could barely remember the next morning except for the feeling of cold dread that they inspired in him.

 


	8. Respite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short (I expected it to turn out a lot longer tbh xD), but I hope you guys will like it anyway!

_ It's dark. There's only a spot of light on the far side of the room. Ittetsu is walking towards it, and as he gets closer he sees Shimizu curled up in front of a door. When she notices him approaching, she holds out her hands and screams, “help me!” _

_ Immediately, Ittetsu starts running towards her, but it's already too late. Countless skeletal hands reach through the door and grab Shimizu, pulling her inside and closing the door before Ittetsu can get to her. _

“ _Shimizu!” He tries to turn the handle, bangs on the wood, but the door remains shut._

 

Ittetsu woke in cold sweat, his heart beating at an alarming speed. It wasn't the first time it happened that night.

“Shit.” He grabbed around the bedside table for his phone so he could see what time it was. He still had an hour before his alarm would go off, but there was no chance that he would fall back asleep after such a nightmare. Groaning, he put on his glasses and stumbled into the bathroom. 

 

***

 

The bus ride to school would only take ten minutes.

_ I can do this _ , Kiyoko thought as the door opened in front of her. Gathering all her concentration, she stepped on and walked to where she saw Yui-san. 

“G'morning,” Yui-san said cheerily. 

“Good morning. I want to try something, but I'll need all my concentration, so...”

Yui-san looked at her curiously, but mimed turning a key in front of her mouth and throwing it away.

Kiyoko smiled in response. She took a deep breath and centred herself, just like Ukai-sensei and Tanaka-san had taught her yesterday. It was probably a little reckless of her to try this without supervision, but after the last lesson, she felt so much more accomplished. 

Closing her eyes, she visualised her magic as a glowing light that originated from her body and imagined how it slowly turned dimmer and dimmer until the glow was gone. _I'm dark. I'm invisible. They cannot see me._

She kept up this mantra until a bump in the road broke her concentration.

When she opened her eyes again, she found Yui-san staring at her, jaw slack.

“Did you... did you just turn off the glamour?” she asked.

“I tried to at least.”

Was Kiyoko imagining things, or was Yui-san slowly turning red? But she didn't get a chance to actually get a closer look at her friend's face.

“Our stop is next!” Yui-san yelped and turned around to go to the door of the bus.

_ Is she affected by the glamour, too? _

Somehow that thought was not as scary as it would've been a couple days ago. There were probably a bunch of people who must've been glamoured by her but never acted any differently. So what if Yui-san liked girls? They were still friends.

 

***

 

“I'm impressed!” Keishin praised Shimizu at the end of her lesson.

Shimizu's progress was amazing. In the span of two hours, she had managed to go from controlling the glamour for five minutes to twenty minutes at a time.

“But it's still really exhausting,” Shimizu admitted, adjusting her glasses. 

Her mother gave her a pat on the back. “You'll get there, honey.”

“Well, I think you can try using these techniques on your own sometimes,” Keishin said. “I think you have a good enough grasp of it now to not accidentally shoot off in the wrong direction and turn it into a deliberate glamour.”

At that, Shimizu turned her gaze to the ground, effectively hiding her face with her hair. “I... I tried it on the bus this morning.”

Keishin sighed and shook his head. He couldn't actually be mad at her for that. “Nothing we can do about it now, is there? But I would appreciate it if you didn't behave so recklessly in the future and waited for my okay to try out spells outside of a magic barrier. Alright?”

Shimizu nodded, timidly looking back up again. “It won't happen again.”

 

After saying goodbye to Shimizu and her mother, Keishin decided to go grocery shopping. His parents had gone to pick up his grandpa from the hospital and would probably appreciate it if he helped out with that. He had a quick look in the fridge and pantry to take stock of what they had at home and what he had to buy. He then grabbed the two reusable grocery bags and the wallet that they always kept on a shelf in the hallway.

As soon as he was outside, he lit up a cigarette and made his way to the small supermarket down the street. As he walked, he thought about today's lesson. Now that Shimizu was making tangible progress, his shoulders felt lighter. She still had a lot to learn, and she definitely hadn't accepted her glamour yet, but for the first time in weeks, it seemed like there was a possibility that she would. Obviously, there was still the issue that she probably wouldn't be able to attend a university, at least not if she wanted to major in magic. Shimizu would figure something out, though, Keishin was sure of that.

Arriving at the market, Keishin walked through the aisles one by one, trying to remember everything they were missing at home. He was so lost in thought that he almost bumped into someone in front of the pre-made bento selection.

“Sorry,” he muttered and was about to walk past the shorter man when he realised who it was. “Sensei?”

Takeda-sensei looked up at him in surprise. He looked like he hadn't slept for a week. 

“Hello, Ukai-kun,” he said, smiling softly.

“Hey,” Keishin replied, “what's with those bags under your eyes?”

“It's nothing!” Takeda-sensei replied, waving his hand. “I'm just a little tired.”

“Huh.” Something told Keishin that Takeda-sensei was more than a little tired. It was probably that he seemed wobbly on his feet and that he could barely keep his bloodshot eyes open.

“Do you have trouble sleeping?”

Takeda-sensei chuckled weakly and scratched the back of his head. “You could say that...”

“Did you spend all night marking, or why is it that you can't sleep?” Keishin asked, at the risk of sounding like his own mother. He had never seen Takeda-sensei like this and he had the urge to protect this man from his own enthusiasm for teaching. 

“Oh no, that's not it,” Takeda-sensei assured. “I've just been having bad dreams recently...”

Keishin looked at his watch. _Damn it._

“Wait a second, and let me call someone,” he said, pulled out his phone and dialled Shimada's number. It didn't take long for him to pick up.

“Keishin? What's going on?”

“Hey, I've gotta ask you for a favour,” Keishin said.

 

***

 

This was not how Ittetsu had planned his evening to go. All he had wanted was to eat dinner and go to bed early in the hopes that he would maybe get more sleep without these weird, senseless nightmares. 

“This really isn't necessary,” he insisted, but Ukai-kun was having none of it.

“Shimada doesn't mind opening up the shop late for a friend.”

_ But I mind! _ Ittetsu thought, but then Ukai-kun grabbed his hand and pulled him along the road.

Ittetsu could barely comprehend what was happening. He'd met Shimada-kun before when he ran into Ukai-kun and his friends at the izakaya, but he hadn't known that his family sold potions. He also hadn't known that there were potions that helped with nightmares. And now he was holding Ukai-kun's hand. 

_ Wait. I am holding Ukai-kun's hand? _

This felt like another dream, but this time it was anything but a nightmare. 

“Here we are,” Ukai-kun muttered, stopping in front of a small shop. There was light coming through the closed blinds, and a little bell chimed when Ukai-kun pushed open the door.

“Good evening, Shimada.” He let go of Ittetsu's hand, leaving him to mourn the gentle pressure and warmth of Ukai-kun's fingers. 

“Hello,” Shimada-kun said, holding up a small glass bottle that was adorned with red runes. “You said Sensei needed a dream potion?”

Ukai-kun hummed his confirmation.

“How much is it?” Ittetsu was already pulling out his wallet.

“It's on the house. You look like you need it, Sensei,” Shimada-kun said.

“I couldn't–” Ittetsu wanted to argue, but Shimada-kun shoved the bottle into the plastic bag that held Ittetsu's dinner.

“Accept it, he's not going to take no for an answer,” Ukai-kun said, shaking his head at his friend's antics. 

 

***

 

Kiyoko released her breath slowly and deliberately, ending her nightly breathing exercises. Ever since her breakdown, she had developed a new appreciation for them. They were relaxing and helped her settle down after stressful days of studying at school and with Ukai-sensei. 

_ Tomorrow I can try shutting down the glamour again. _ The thought made her giddy with relief. The bus ride to and from school was usually the worst part of her day, but now she could do something about it. 

Grinning to herself, she took off her glasses, put them down on her bedside table and made herself comfortable in bed before flicking off the lights. 

She had a good night's rest ahead of her.

 


	9. Breakthrough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been waiting to get to this point in the fic for ages :3 I hope you enjoy!  
> Btw, for the people excited about the KiyoYui and TakiShima: I still have plans for this AU when I'm done with this specific fic :D

“Keishin, we're almost out of removal salve!”

Even through the closed door, Akemi's voice was loud enough to wake Keishin. He turned around so he could have a look at his alarm clock and groaned. Why did she have to wake him _now_? There was still half an hour until Shimada would even open his shop!

There was a furious knock on the door. “Did you hear me, Keishin?”

“Yes!” he yelled back before his mother decided that she actually had to come in. His room was in a state of complete chaos, and the last time his mother saw it like that, it had prompted her to go on a furious rant about how he could never bring home a girlfriend if his room was such a mess. Not that he had any plans to bring anyone home as long as he lived with his parents. That was what love hotels were for.

“Come down for breakfast! Your grandpa is already up.”

 

“Hey, Shimada,” Keishin said as soon as he entered _Shimada Potions_ , “do you have some more of that removal salve?”

“Good morning to you, too,” Shimada quipped, but immediately turned around to look for the salve on the shelves behind the counter. “You ran out already? Usually, one tub of this stuff lasts you half a year. Have you tried teaching Shimizu runes or something?”

“Nah, but I need to remove Sensei's runes after lessons,” Keishin explained while Shimada scanned his purchase.

Shimada lifted an eyebrow. “Runes against glamours should also protect him from malicious transformation magic, right? Why would he want you to remove them? This is ¥2,600, by the way.”

“You raised the price again?” Keishin grumbled as he rummaged through his wallet for the money.

“Silver prices have gone up recently and I need a bunch of it to make this stuff.” Shimada shrugged. “But you haven't answered my question.”

Keishin grimaced. He really didn't want to out Takeda-sensei, not even to Shimada, who had been in a relationship with Takinoue since high school. “It's not my place to tell you why.”

But he had forgotten about how sharp Shimada could be at times.

“Could it be that he doesn't want people to see that he doesn't react to Shimizu?”

Immediately, Keishin looked around to see if anyone else was in the store with them and sighed with relief when he realised that they were indeed alone.

“How do you know?” he asked, leaning his weight on the counter.

“He looked way too dejected when you let go of his hand yesterday. And last time, when we were at the izakaya, he would blush every time you two touched accidentally.”

“That was the sleep-deprivation and intoxication,” Keishin argued.

“Nah, the blush got worse with every contact,” Shimada said, a rather smug grin on his face. “You're into him, right? You've always had a thing for guys with black hair and glasses.”

“That description also applies to you, and you are literally one of the last people I want to kiss ever.”

Keishin did not want to have this discussion. Not with a guy who had somehow been lucky enough to fall in love with his best friend and have his feelings reciprocated. Shimada had no idea how it felt to put yourself out there and ask someone for a date. He'd basically stumbled into his relationship with Takinoue on accident! At least that was what it had looked like to Keishin who had watched the entire thing unfold in their teenage years.

“Good thing I'm already spoken for.” Shimada's voice was dripping with sarcasm. “But honestly, you should ask him out. Where's the harm?”

Keishin huffed. “He could reject me. And then lessons with Shimizu would be hella awkward.”

Shimada reacted with a drawn-out sigh. “Don't come crying to me if he ends up with another guy eventually because you waited too long.”

 

***

 

“According to experts, the proposed tax plan will mostly benefit small businesses...”

Ittetsu's morning routine included watching the news while he ate breakfast, but on this particular morning, it was hard to focus on the monotonous voice of the newscaster. His mind was filled with too many other things. He was behind on marking, there was a parent-teacher conference coming up, Shimizu still had trouble suppressing the glamour when she wasn't focusing on it, and after taking Shimada's potion, Ukai-kun had made an appearance in his dreams. It was an improvement. At least Ittetsu's racing pulse was now the result of pleasant scenarios instead of nightmares, but he really didn't want to think about Ukai-kun any more than he already did.

“...has established a new branch within the magic department.”

“Huh?” Ittetsu's head snapped up when he heard the word magic.

“Thus, Kyoto University will be the first Japanese university to teach mind-manipulation,” the newscaster said tonelessly. “This decision has been made in response to Australian universities that have developed an effective way of treating mental illnesses with the help of mind-manipulation.”

The newscast then cut to an interview with Kyoto University's president.

“What prompted this groundbreaking decision?”

“All kinds of magic have dangers, especially transformation magic, but we have used them all to better our lives and heal our bodies. Why shouldn't we take advantage of magic that can heal our minds?”

“This move has been met with criticism from conservatives who fear that allowing magicians to focus on mind-manipulation might lead to a higher crime rate. What is your response to this?”

“All kinds of magic can be used for crime. This does not mean that they have no potential for good...”

Ittetsu turned off the TV and scarfed down the rest of his breakfast. He had heard enough. He needed to talk to Ukai-kun immediately. If he left the house now and took the car, he might still have time to go to _Sakanoshita Paraphernalia_ before he had to be at school.

 _This could be it_ , he thought as he hastily climbed into his car.

 

***

 

Keishin had barely put a foot inside the store when he heard a car stop right in front of the shop.

“Ukai-kun!”

At this point in his life, there were only a select few people who called him that, and there was no mistaking that voice.

He turned around to see Takeda-sensei still fumbling with his safety belt, but the door was already pushed open.

“Sensei? What happened?” Keishin asked when Takeda-sensei finally managed to free himself.

“Have you seen the news yet?” There was a fierce gleam in Takeda-sensei's eyes that made it impossible to look away from them.

“Uh, no, haven't had the time yet.”

“Kyoto University will be offering courses for mind-manipulation magic.”

“What?!” Keishin almost dropped the plastic bag with the salve he'd just bought. “This is huge!”

“I know! Do you think Shimizu and Tanaka-san could have a chance of going there?” Takeda-sensei asked, stepping closer and grabbing Keishin by his forearms. The excitement was infectious.

“I don't know about Tanaka-san, but if Shimizu keeps up her training and also works on perfecting other kinds of magic, she can definitely get a scholarship.”

“Yes!”

And then Takeda-sensei threw his arms around Keishin, hugging him close. It was mostly reflex to return the hug, but even when Keishin became aware of what he was doing, he didn't want to let go. He couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged by someone he cared about. And that was the thing – he _cared_ about this man. He might have denied it when Shimada had asked him whether he was into Takeda-sensei, but this was more than that.

And that was why he felt his heart sink into the pits of his stomach when Takeda-sensei broke the embrace.

“I need to be at school in five minutes,” he blurted out as he looked at his watch. “I'll tell Shimizu about this when I see her.”

“Yeah, you should get going then,” Keishin said lamely, watching Takeda stumble his way back to the car.

 _Don't come crying to me if he ends up with another guy eventually because you waited too long_ , Shimada's voice was echoing in Keishin's head.

_Fuck it._

“Sensei!” he sprinted to the car, making it in time before Takeda-sensei had closed the door. “Are you free tonight?”

“Er, yes? I should be free.”

“Do you... wanna have dinner with me?” Keishin had to force his tongue to cooperate. “I know this restaurant. We could... er... celebrate.”

The smile Keishin received for an answer was as blinding as the sun.

“I'll come to your house at seven, then, Ukai-kun.”

 

***

 

“Shimizu? Could you help me carry these dictionaries back to the prep room?”

Kiyoko got up from her chair and went to the front where Takeda-sensei was stacking the kanji dictionaries.

“I have some exciting news for you,” he said as he picked up the larger stack.

“What is it, Sensei?” Kiyoko asked as she followed him out of the classroom.

“Kyoto University has decided to add courses for mind-manipulation magic with a focus on teaching how to heal mental illnesses. And according to Ukai-kun, you should be able to get a scholarship if you train your magic enough.”

Kiyoko froze in the middle of the hallway. She could go to university for magic.

“You... you can heal mental illnesses with mind-manipulation?” she asked breathlessly. If this was true...

_I could help people._

“Well, at least that was what they said on the news this morning,” Takeda-sensei said, turning around to smile at her. “I'm sure we can convince Ukai-kun to keep teaching you even after you gain full control over your glamour. I can be very persuasive if needed.”

He kept talking all the way to the prep room, but Kiyoko barely registered his words, lost in a daydream about attending the prestigious Kyoto University.

 

As soon as Kiyoko came home from school, she borrowed her mother's tablet and looked up Kyoto University. The first thing that came up were news articles about their recent decision to add mind-manipulation to their curriculum. Public opinion seemed to be split on whether or not this move was a good idea. Most were at least sceptical, a handful of people had even called for the administrative board of the university to be fired. But there were voices out there that supported the decision.

In the end, it was a quote from a Japanese professor who worked at one of the Australian universities that had pioneered the techniques to heal mental illnesses that struck a chord with Kiyoko: “So many lives could be saved if we as a society decided to take mental health issues more seriously. It is only fitting that illnesses like depression that are laden with so much stigma can be healed by a type of magic that has been unfairly maligned for decades if not centuries.”

Maybe saving lives was not an ambition Kiyoko would ever be able to live up to, but at the very least, she would be able to make people's lives better if she took this path.

 

***

 

Ittetsu was nervous beyond belief. Preparations for the parent-teacher conference had taken longer than he had anticipated, which meant that he hadn't had time to go home and change before he met up with Ukai-kun for dinner. He had tried to remove the chalk stains from his black trousers as best as he could, but there were still some faint white spots left on his thighs.

This felt suspiciously like a date. Ittetsu really hoped it was. The last time he had been on a date, he'd still been a university student, and he had honestly thought that he would never get another chance to date as long as he taught at a school in rural Miyagi.

As he got closer to the Ukai family's house, Ittetsu noticed Ukai-kun leaning against the wall, a lit cigarette between his lips, and he had definitely made an effort to dress up. He had exchanged the usual orange hoodie for a dark blue button-down shirt, open over a simple black t-shirt, and his jeans didn't have as many tears in them as usual. It looked good on him.

“Hello, Ukai-kun,” Ittetsu called out. His voice sounded a little too thin and shaky in his ears. He _really_ hoped this was a date, or else all these nerves would be for nothing.

“Sensei.” Ukai-kun returned the greeting with a nod and immediately extinguished his cigarette, placing it in a jar that he seemed to keep at the front door for this exact purpose. “My mum would kill me if I left the butts lying around,” he explained. “Should we get going?”

Ukai-kun had the same nervous cadence in his voice as Ittetsu did.

“Can I ask you... I mean... Is this a date?” Ittetsu blurted out, making Ukai-kun flinch.

For a second, Ittetsu feared that he had messed up, but then Ukai-kun cleared his throat and nodded.

“If you want it to be.”

Ittetsu couldn't remember the last time he had wanted something this much.

 


	10. Dreaming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

One time a couple of years ago, Keishin had gone to a gay bar and ended up making out with a random guy in a drunken stupor. He never even learnt the guy's name. That was about as much experience as Keishin had with men, so it really was a miracle that he'd managed to admit to Takeda-sensei that he wanted this to be a proper date. 

“You clean up well,” Takeda-sensei mused after the waiter had taken their orders. He kept his voice low, just barely rising above the chatter around them. 

“Erm, thanks, I guess?” Handling and giving out compliments was not Keishin's strong suit. “I tried.”

A chuckle escaped Takeda-sensei's lips. “It's been a while since I've been on a date like this,” he admitted. “I didn't think I would get the opportunity after I graduated from university.”

“You're cute, though,” Keishin blurted out and immediately regretted his choice of words. “I meant to say you are handsome? I mean... Your eyes are really pretty and...” _Oh my god, somebody just end me now._

A mischievous grin appeared on Takeda-sensei's face. “And?”

“You are nice?” Why did that come out sounding like a question? It wasn't supposed to be a question!

“Having pretty eyes and being nice is usually not enough to get another guy to notice you,” Takeda-sensei sighed. “And I can't risk flirting with just anyone, in case the school finds out. This is a very conservative area after all.”

Keishin nodded. “I know the feeling. Shimada and Takinoue are the only ones who know I'm... yeah. And you, and Tanaka-san, I guess.”

They were interrupted by the waiter bringing them their drinks. Keishin decided that this was as good an opportunity as any other to change the subject to one that was less likely to doom them both if they were overheard.

“I looked into what exactly Kyoto University is changing in their magic department,” he said and sipped at his soda. “They have set up a bunch of regulations and restrictions on how mind-manipulation will be taught.” He held up a hand, counting down the rules with his fingers. “Only people with a natural glamour are allowed in the program. Forceful glamours are strictly forbidden, and deliberate ones are only allowed when the person who is supposed to be glamoured agrees to it beforehand. Other than that they also include psychology classes in the curriculum, so the students also have to pass the entrance exam for psychology.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Takeda-sensei said. “I think Shimizu is pretty excited about the prospect of going to university.”

“Maybe this will finally make her accept her magic.” Keishin really hoped this would work for Shimizu's sake. “Then I wouldn't be surprised if she manages to gain complete control by next week.”

A soft smile tugged at Takeda-sensei's lips. “I know you were reluctant at first, but I'm honestly glad that you are the one teaching her. You are a better instructor than you give yourself credit for, Ukai-kun.”

There he went with the compliments again. Keishin was tempted to ditch his hairbands in an effort to hide his glowing red ears but chose to have another sip of cold soda instead. Maybe it would cool him down.

 

***

 

It was such a pleasant evening. The food was good, the company even better, and watching Ukai-kun struggle to accept compliments was fascinating. Ittetsu was tempted to shower him with praise, just to see him turn beet red and hear him stumble over his own tongue in his efforts to reply. Ittetsu had always been rather smitten with Ukai-kun, and the knowledge that Ukai-kun returned the interest felt almost like a dream. 

They remained at the restaurant long after the waiter had cleared their empty dessert plates, talking animatedly until Ittetsu started to yawn.

“We should probably leave, huh?” Ukai-kun said, waving down the waiter so he could pay for their meal. Ittetsu wanted to chip in, but Ukai-kun refused, saying that he could get the bill the next time.

It was comforting to know that Ukai-kun wanted there to be a next time. 

“Should I walk you home?” Ukai-kun asked, lighting a cigarette with his magic as soon as they were outside.

For a moment, Ittetsu contemplated leaving his car in the school parking lot. If Ukai-kun walked him home, Ittetsu could invite him inside his flat for a cup of tea, and he knew exactly that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of convincing him to stay the night. Ittetsu couldn't afford to do that, however, not when he had to get up early for school the next morning.

“My car is still in the school parking lot,” he said regretfully. “You could walk me there instead?”

“Okay.”

They walked in companionable silence for most of the way, their arms and hands touching occasionally. Ittetsu was itching to lace their fingers together, but this was neither the time nor the place for such displays of affection. Anyone could see them walking together if they just looked outside their windows.

“I really enjoyed this date,” Ittetsu said as they neared the parking lot.

“Me, too,” Ukai-kun replied, slowing down his steps. “Would you be willing to go on another one?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Ittetsu assured, stopping by a tree that would at least give them some cover from potential prying eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

“Y-yes,” Ukai-kun sputtered, eagerly closing the distance between them by leaning down. Ittetsu slightly rose on his toes to meet him. It was soft and chaste, making Ittetsu weak in the knees. He grabbed onto Ukai-kun's shoulder with one hand to steady himself, which Ukai-kun took as an invitation to roughly pull him closer.

Ittetsu's lips still tingled when he parked his car in front of his house.

 

***

 

“What's with that getup? Did you have a date?”

Keishin had been all alone in his own little dream world, replaying that kiss in his mind so it would be permanently committed to his memory. The sudden appearance of his grandpa as soon as he stepped through the front door came as a surprise, making Keishin jump.

“I– I mean– Don't tell Mum.”

Ikkei laughed and gave Keishin a pat on the back. “Take your time. But you should introduce your lady to us once you get serious.”

A knot had formed in Keishin's throat at his grandpa's words, making it hard to swallow, let alone speak. 

“Yeah,” he croaked out, quickly making his way upstairs to his room, basically fleeing the conversation. It would be awkward dancing around the topic with his family, but Keishin was nowhere near being ready to come out. Like his grandpa said, he would take his time. That was obviously not what Ikkei had meant, but Keishin was not going to rush this until he was sure that he and Takeda-sensei had a steady relationship going.

Falling down on his bed, Keishin removed his hairbands and sighed. He thought about Takeda-sensei's carefree laughter, the teasing glint in his eyes, the way he'd just gone and asked for a kiss. And that kiss. The way Takeda-sensei had held onto Keishin's shoulder. The flushed cheeks afterwards.

He wished he could've stayed longer, talked more, maybe even properly got to make out with Takeda-sensei somewhere private. Keishin might have been reluctant to ask him out at first, but now that he knew how it felt to kiss Takeda-sensei, he wanted more. 

That night, when Keishin fell asleep, he dreamt about many different future scenarios, but as different as they all were, they always involved a certain bespectacled literature teacher.

 

***

 

Impatiently, Kiyoko fidgeted with the straps of her school bag while she waited for Takeda-sensei at the gate. She hadn't been this excited about the prospect of a magic lesson since the first one. Not only would the lessons make it possible for her to have her life go back to normal, now she also had something to work towards. 

When Takeda-sensei finally showed up, they walked to Ukai-sensei's house together. Kiyoko noticed a certain spring in his steps and a grin that was permanently tugging at the corners of his mouth.

_ Is he also excited about the Kyoto University thing? _ she wondered. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for Takeda-sensei. He was the one teacher that had actually put any effort into trying to help her, after all. But then again, she doubted that her newfound career goals would cause him to smile like that. 

After ringing the doorbell, they were greeted by Ukai-sensei.

“Come in, you two,” he said, stepping aside to let them in the house. Was Kiyoko imagining things or were his cheeks flushed?

_ I'm probably imagining things _ , Kiyoko decided as she finally sat down in the circle with Ukai-sensei.

The lesson went astoundingly well. For some reason, it took Kiyoko way less effort to concentrate on the energy that was flowing through her than it usually did. She barely even had to visualise the glow in front of her inner eye to have a palpable feeling of control. 

“Okay, try to keep up the concentration while I talk,” Ukai-sensei said, speaking as softly as his gruff voice allowed. “You've been doing really well already, but this should feel different. My runes still aren't glowing, despite the fact that I'm distracting you by talking. Do you know why?”

Kiyoko didn't dare speak, fearing that it would break her concentration, so she shook her head. 

“It's because you have accepted your glamour.”

Suddenly, the runes flared up again. Kiyoko looked up at Ukai-sensei's face.

“What?”

“I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but the fact that you rejected the glamour made it impossible for you to turn it off easily,” he explained, smiling. “Do you want to go to university?”

“Yes, I want to go to Kyoto University,” Kiyoko replied.

“Good. Keep that goal in mind. Work hard, not just at magic, but also at school. If you want to study mind-manipulation in Kyoto, you will have to pass the entrance exams for psychology as well, so you need to study a lot. Can you do that?”

“Yes!” Kiyoko nodded vigorously. She hadn't even known that she needed it, but finally, she had a dream – no, a goal that she could actually make reality, and she was not going to carelessly throw it away. 

If only she could be certain that Ukai-sensei would continue to teach her after she gained control...

 

***

 

Ittetsu had been on tenterhooks throughout Shimizu's lesson. He was flooded with relief when her father picked her up after his shift at the hospital, leaving Ittetsu with the opportunity to talk to Ukai-kun in private.

“Are you free on Saturday?” he asked as they stood in front of the house. 

Ukai-kun nodded as he lit up a cigarette. “I'm free.”

“I've been thinking... Maybe we could go to the cinema? There's this film... Although, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if you even like that genre...” _I should've thought about that sooner_ , Ittetsu admonished himself, but Ukai-kun just smiled.

“I'm sure we can find something to watch that we'll both enjoy.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, I finally managed to decide on how many chapters I need to finish this fic, and it's slowly nearing its end. But no worries, I have plans for a bunch of spin-offs/sequels!


	11. Success

The situation at school had calmed down a lot for Kiyoko. Slowly but surely, she needed less and less concentration to keep the glamour in check. Bus rides were basically back to normal, and while she didn't have the ability yet to stay in control when she needed to pay attention during lessons, Kiyoko could now walk through the hallways at school without being leered at. 

“Feels like everything's calmed down again,” Yui-san said, as they had their lunch in the classroom. They hadn't been able to do that in weeks, choosing to go somewhere quieter where they wouldn't be bothered by boisterous boys trying to catch Kiyoko's attention.

Kiyoko nodded and took a bite of her sandwich. “Ukai-sensei thinks that I'm only a couple of days away from being able to cast other spells while suppressing the glamour.”

“That's cool! Will he continue teaching you then?” Yui-san asked excitedly.

Kiyoko bit her lip. She had been thinking about this ever since Ukai-sensei had told her that the reason why she had struggled so much was that she hadn't accepted the glamour as a part of herself. In the beginning, he had made it clear that he was only going to teach her until she was safe again. Takeda-sensei might have offered to help convince him otherwise, but Kiyoko was not comfortable asking for his help again. Both of them had done so much for her already, so she didn't want to burden them any further.

“I don't know yet,” Kiyoko sighed.

“I'm sure it'll work out.” Yui-san's grin was optimistic and comforting as always.

 

***

 

“Ukai, I hate to say this, but I told you so,” Shimada-kun said as soon as he spotted Ittetsu and Ukai-kun entering the izakaya. 

“Don't kid yourself, you love being right,” Ukai-kun grumbled, joining his friends at the low table. 

“I don't get what you see in this brute, Sensei,” Takinoue-kun teased, making Ukai-kun roll his eyes. Ittetsu couldn't help but grin as he sat down next to Ukai-kun. 

“He can actually be quite the gentleman if he wants to.”

Ukai-kun immediately hid his face behind his hands at Ittetsu's words, in a failed attempt to hide his blush. “You're not helping, Sensei.”

“This is, what, your fourth date? And you still call him 'Sensei'?” Takinoue-kun asked, eyebrows raised.

“Kinky,” Shimada-kun added. 

Now it was Ittetsu's turn to blush. Ukai-kun had warned him that his friends were prone to teasing him about his relationships as revenge for Ukai-kun doing the same to them when they'd become a couple.

“Both of you should just shut it,” Ukai-kun said after lighting up a cigarette. “I have plenty of embarrassing stories about you guys that I could tell Takeda- _san_ about.”

At that point the waitress came to take their orders, sparing them all further embarrassment. The conversation calmed down afterwards, settling on the more comfortable topic of local news. Ittetsu had already had quite the good impression of Ukai-kun's friends after he'd ran into them by chance that one time. As much as they all teased and prodded at each other, it was obvious how much they cared. It was something Ittetsu sorely missed ever since he had moved to this small town. The first years of teaching had been so stressful that he'd lost contact with his friends from university, and now that he had become used to the job, he was left with superficial friendships that had formed between him and some of the other literature teachers. 

“How did the three of you become friends?” Ittetsu asked after the waitress brought them their second round of beer.

“It was kind of inevitable.” Takinoue-kun shrugged. “Our parents are friends and we were all in the same year at school.”

“And we all developed powers at the same time, so we went through Master Ukai's lessons together,” Shimada-kun added.

“If all his students were as stupid as we three were, it's no wonder grandpa ended up in the hospital...”

 

Later that night, Ittetsu found himself holding on to Ukai-kun's arms to steady himself as they walked home. Both of them were pleasantly tipsy.

“This probably wasn't what you had in mind for a date,” Ukai-kun said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “But they said they wanted to see you and then you asked if we could go out tonight, so I thought...”

“It's fine, Ukai-kun!” Ittetsu assured, squeezing his forearm. “It was fun. I like your friends.”

“They are idiots, though,” Ukai-kun sighed, but the embarrassment on his face was replaced by a soft smile. “Please don't take their jokes too seriously, okay?”

Ittetsu laughed. “Don't worry, I can hold my own. And even if I couldn't, I would have to get used to it, wouldn't I? It's not like I can avoid my boyfriend's friends.”

Suddenly, Ukai-kun stumbled on a crack in the pavement, almost sending himself sprawling. He wrapped his arm around Ittetsu's waist just in time to regain his balance. 

“So I'm your boyfriend?” Ukai-kun asked, his eyes shining in the dim street lights. 

Ittetsu's face felt too warm, and he was tempted to pull Ukai-kun down into a kiss to answer the question, but this situation was a little too public for that. 

“I like you, and I was under the impression that you liked me, too, so...”

“Yes, definitely,” Ukai-kun interrupted, a grin spreading across his face.

 

***

 

Keishin would have loved to stay the night at Takeda-san's, but the fact that he had to look after the shop the next morning had made it impossible. They had all the time in the world, though, so Keishin was not too bothered. He spent most of the morning with his head in the clouds, until he heard the little bell announce the arrival of a customer.

Ukai Yutaka spent most of his time tending to his farm. In summer, it wasn't unusual that Keishin would only see his father when the entire family gathered for dinner, so he was quite surprised when Yutaka entered the shop. 

“What has you in such a good mood that you're whistling?” Yutaka asked, eyebrows raised.

“Nothing in particular,” Keishin lied, trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible. “What do you need, Dad?”

“We have a new tractor and I need you to put some elemental protection runes on it before your grandpa notices and decides to overexert himself by doing it himself,” Yutaka explained. The magic talent had skipped his generation, so he had to rely on his family for their magic.

“Let me fetch a tub of paint and some brushes. Could you write a sign to put on the door that says that I'll be back in half an hour?”

“Can do.”

Having spent the entire morning reorganising the shelves, Keishin knew exactly where to find all the things he needed. Keishin didn't bother activating the usual barrier on his way out. The lock would do.

“How's your student doing?” Yutaka asked as he led Keishin to the new tractor. 

“Shimizu's doing great!” Keishin smiled. “It's only a matter of days until she has full control.”

“That's good to hear.” Yutaka nodded. “You've taken a liking to teaching, haven't you?”

Keishin shrugged. He honestly hadn't given it much thought, but teaching Shimizu certainly hadn't been the disaster he had imagined at first. She was polite and determined, a perfect hard-working student, and now that she had broken the mental block that had prevented her from succeeding, she showed remarkable talent and power. He was curious to see if she would be as talented with other types of magic as well.

“Being a magic instructor is fine, I guess,” Keishin finally said as they arrived at the barn. He would think about it later. For now, there was work to do.

 

***

 

After the tenth repetition of the fire spell, Kiyoko's arm felt almost numb. She didn't have trouble lighting the candle at all, but whenever she did, her glamour would flare up along with the flame.

“Do you want to take a break?” Ukai-sensei asked. “I could go and make us some tea.”

Kiyoko nodded with a sigh. This was almost as frustrating as her lessons had been when she had just started out. She was so close to succeeding, but it seemed like she had hit another roadblock. 

“You should get up and stretch your muscles while I prepare the tea,” Ukai-kun said before leaving the study. Kiyoko followed his advice, walking around the room in an attempt to get the feeling back into her arms and legs. 

“Are you worried about something?” Takeda-sensei asked once she started doing some stretches that she always used to do before track practice. 

“I'm fine,” she said, bent over with her palms on the ground, feeling the stretch at the back of her legs. She counted to ten before she slowly released from the stretch. Takeda-sensei looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Are you worried that Ukai-kun will stop teaching you, once you have full control?” 

A knot formed in Kiyoko's throat. Takeda-sensei had hit the nail on the head. She didn't want to go looking for a new instructor. She was comfortable with Ukai-sensei and there was no guarantee that another instructor would be as understanding of her as he had been. She cleared her throat.

“That is what he said.”

“You should ask him.” Takeda-sensei's frown softened into a smile. “And if he says he doesn't want to continue being your instructor, I'll talk to him, okay?”

“But you've both done so much for me already, I...” Kiyoko halted. “I don't want to be a bother to you.”

“You've never been a bother.”

Just as Kiyoko was about to argue, Ukai-sensei returned with the tea. He handed cups to Takeda-sensei and Kiyoko before taking one for himself and sitting down in one of the chairs. 

“Is something wrong?” he asked, his gaze moving from Kiyoko to Takeda-sensei and back again.

“Shimizu is worried about the future of the lessons,” Takeda-sensei explained. Kiyoko's knuckles turned white as her grip on the cup tightened.

“Oh.” Ukai-sensei seemed surprised. “I would've never thought I'd say this but I'm actually quite fond of teaching. I know I said that I would only teach you until your glamour is under control, Shimizu, but...” He shrugged. “I want to see you go to Kyoto University. We might have to cut back on the number of lessons per week, but I am not going to leave you hanging.”

“Thank you!” Kiyoko blurted out. She suddenly felt so light, like she could set a new personal record for the 300-meter hurdles.

“Now let's drink our tea so we can get back to the lesson.”

 

***

 

Seeing how Ukai-kun's runes remained dark as Shimizu lit the candle, Ittetsu's chest swelled with pride. It had taken his student so much effort to come this far, and now finally, after weeks upon weeks of hard work and tears, Shimizu was in control. The glamour that had threatened to ruin her life was tamed.

“You did it!” Ukai-kun exclaimed, patting Shimizu on the back. When he looked up, his eyes met Ittetsu's. He looked as proud as Ittetsu felt. 

“Good job,” Ittetsu said, smiling as Shimizu insisted on trying it again. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go, but I'm also about to post a little extra one-shot for the people who are 18+. It has absolutely no bearing on the plot, so people who are not interested in smut do not need to be worried about missing out.


	12. Epilogue - Beginnings

Usually, Kiyoko didn't pay too much attention to the opening ceremony. The vice principal had a bad habit of letting his speeches drag on for too long, and the opening ceremony of her third year at high school was no different in that regard. But there was something to look forward to. Amidst the row of teachers lined up behind the vice principal was a new face. Ukai-sensei had made an effort to blend in by wearing a suit, but his hair was still bleached, and he hadn't taken out his piercings which made him stick out like a sore thumb.

“Finally, I want to announce that the school has hired a magic instructor,” the vice principal said towards the end of his speech. “Students with magic talent who are interested in taking lessons will have to fill out registration forms and hand them in by the end of the week. Your homeroom teachers will be passing out the forms tomorrow. I welcome Ukai-sensei to the school and hope that we can all provide him with a pleasant working environment.”

Kiyoko joined in the applause, giggling at Ukai-sensei's awkward bow. She was glad that he had managed to get this job, not only because it would help her university applications immensely if she could provide a school certificate for her magic abilities, but mostly because Ukai-sensei deserved it. She had started helping out at _Sakanoshita Paraphernalia_ a couple of months ago to compensate for all the time she stole from Ukai-sensei, but the handful of evening shifts she took over for him was nowhere near enough.

“Come on, we need to go to our classroom,” Yui-san said, pulling at Kiyoko's sleeve.

Kiyoko hadn't even noticed that the vice principal had ended his speech.

“Yeah.” Still smiling, she followed her best friend.

 

***

 

Keishin sat down at his desk in the staff room of Karasuno High School and loosened his tie. His mother had insisted that he needed to dress up for the opening ceremony at least, but it had only made him feel even more awkward than he would've felt if he had been wearing his favourite orange hoodie. He'd definitely ditch the suit and tie for actual lessons. Kneeling in chalk circles was already bad enough without uncomfortable trousers.

Sighing, he looked around the deserted room. Most of the teachers were out, either in their prep or homerooms. It was something Keishin would have to get used to, since his magic lessons would take place in the afternoon and on Saturdays so they would not collide with regular lessons. It was probably for the best. People were already suspicious enough of him and Ittetsu-san ever since Keishin's boyfriend had suggested him for the position of magic instructor. He'd rather not fuel the rumours by hanging around Ittetsu-san too much at work.

Lost in thought, Keishin grabbed his planner and leafed through it. Ittetsu-san had suggested he get one, so he could keep track of his shifts at the shop and his lessons. He was going to be a lot busier, but he'd also get paid a decent salary by the school. It might even be enough to rent a flat of his own eventually. Or maybe he could move in with Ittetsu-san.

Sometimes it felt like his mother had caught on to them in the last couple of months. Akemi hadn't stopped prodding him about girlfriends, but her tone had changed. It was like a challenge, like she knew that he was hiding something, and she would double her efforts whenever she knew he had spent time with Ittetsu-san. It was about time that Keishin came out to his family.

 

***

 

“Are you sure you want to do this now?” Ittetsu asked, nervously fiddling with the knot of his tie as they left the school grounds. “I mean, I'll support you no matter what, but you just started a new job, and this might be a little much for them to process...”

_And you look like you are about to puke_ , he was tempted to add, but kept his mouth shut, lest Keishin lose all his determination. Ittetsu simply wanted to make sure that his boyfriend wasn't making any rash decisions.

“My mum's already suspicious, and so is my grandpa,” Keishin said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “I need to get this over with.”

 

Ittetsu had become quite familiar with the Ukai family's house over the last one and a half years. He'd been invited to stay for dinner after supervising lessons with Shimizu so many times that he had lost count. At this point, he spent more time with Keishin's family than he'd ever spent with his own since he'd moved out. Being received as warmly as ever, despite the fact that he and Keishin were planning to drop a bombshell of an announcement on them, felt awkward.

“I bought some cake to celebrate your new job, Keishin,” Akemi-san said, leading them into the dining room, where Ikkei-san, Yutaka-san and Kana-chan were already gathered at the table.

“Hello everyone,” Ittetsu greeted them, sitting down on the chair Keishin's sister pulled out for him. “Where's your husband, Kana-chan?”

“He's at a convention for vegetable farming,” she explained, putting a slice of cake on Ittetsu's plate.

“Speaking of spouses,” Akemi-san said as she placed cups of tea in front of Ittetsu and her son, “are there any nice co-workers that have caught your eye, Keishin?”

Ittetsu was frozen in his seat. This all went a lot faster than he had expected.

Keishin cleared his throat, throwing a quick glance at Ittetsu before saying, “I... erm... I have to tell you guys something.”

A wolfish grin appeared on Ikkei-san's face. “Go ahead. Tell us.”

“Erm.... Ittetsu-san and I, we are in a...”

“I knew it!” Akemi-san exclaimed triumphantly before he could even finish his sentence. “At least your taste in men is better than your taste in women, Keishin. Did you know that one of your ex-girlfriends divorced her second husband recently?”

Ittetsu sank in on himself, all the tension leaving his body.

That went a lot better than expected.

 

***

 

_When choosing paint for runes, it is important to keep in mind the purpose of the charm and how long it is supposed to last. There is no need to choose an expensive paint with strong pigmentation if the charm only has to last for an hour..._

 

A knock on her door made Kiyoko look up from her spellbook.

“It's time for dinner,” her father said, poking his head through the gap between door and frame. “Wash your hands and come downstairs, alright?”

“I'm coming,” she said, sticking a bookmark between the pages before leaving her room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With that, we have reached the end of this fic. Thanks to everyone who commented and left kudos! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](http://gilrael.tumblr.com)


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